Everything Can Change in the Blink of an Eye
by AliRose2445
Summary: What would happen if Jasper decided to come back & protect Bella after all the Cullens left because of the birthday incident? Alice sees it all happening before they even leave. All the Cullen's are involved, it's mostly about all of them not just J/B.
1. Chapter 1

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING HER ALONE AND UNPROTECTED" Jasper was roaring at Edward. It was so strange to hear him taking on the side of staying for Bella. I would have thought that after what had just transpired at her birthday party, that Jasper was all for leaving her.

"What else would you have me do?" Edward snapped bitterly back at him. "You just tried to drink her blood Jasper. She's better off without us around her". I could hear Esme sobbing from across the room. She was on the couch sitting next to Rosalie. Emmett and Carlisle were both standing close to Edward and Jasper but not interfering. Carlisle looked apprehensive as he watched his sons, who were facing off in the middle of the giant living room and I was sitting on the stairs. I was upset, I hadn't seen it coming until it was almost too late and I hung my head guiltily. Jasper was too busy glaring at Edward to notice, so I just wallowed in my guilt. It seemed like it was happening a lot these days. Jasper too busy to notice my feelings, we were usually so attuned to each other. What's going on? I wondered to myself.

"She's not Edward and you damn well know it. She's a danger magnet, and we are the ones who brought this upon her, so we need to stay and fix it". Jasper was trying to convince Edward with his feelings as well as his words. "I promise everyone I CAN control myself. What happened will never happen again". He was right I could see his future right then. I was too stunned by what I saw to hide it from Edward. In the next second he was lunging across the room at Jasper, a feral growl ripping out from deep inside his body.

Carlisle and Emmett were taken off guard by Edward's sudden attack and it wasn't until Edward had knocked Jasper into the wall that they had moved to stop it. Jasper had felt Edward's rage and turned it into his own without meaning to. Right as they were making their move to stop Edward, Jasper had used all the rage he felt in the room and his own strength and sent Edward flying through the glass wall across the room. Edward was up and back in the room before the glass had even finished shattering to the ground. For a split second, which in vampire time is actually quite long, no one moved or even breathed. Edward made a move to step towards Jasper again and it seemed Carlisle finally regained his control.

"ENOUGH!" He snarled at the both of them. Carlisle rarely felt the need to raise his voice, let alone yell at any one of us. That was what stopped the fight and gave Jasper enough time to calm down. I decided I should come tell my family what I had foreseen, they needed to know. I flitted down the stairs.

"Edward, it's not his fault. How dare you take your anger out about something that hasn't even happened on Jasper"! I rebuffed him as I came to stand beside my mate. Was he still my mate? Was I able to call him that after what I saw? Pure confusion radiated throughout the room, Jasper had thought the attack had been because of the argument.

"Does someone care to explain to me why my sons are fighting and breaking my house?" Esme asked when the confusion cleared; she had moved to stand beside Carlisle now.

"Alice saw… She umm" Edward was unable to speak and they all turned to me expectantly.

"I saw that if we all leave, something would bring Jasper back to come check on Bella and they would fall in love. She will be my sister finally, if not in the way I thought it would be". I finished in a whisper. Jasper came to take my hand in his and looked into my eyes. He went to say something but I held my finger over his lips. "Shhh" I murmured. "It's okay. I can see it and even feel it in my vision. You and I were never meant to fall in love, I was always meant to be your friend. My fate with you was to bring you here to meet our family and be your friend, your best friend". I corrected myself, "I was meant for someone else, and so were you. Edward was never meant for Bella either". As I said this last part Edward was hissing at me. I paid him no attention as I looked at Jasper.

"I d-don't t-think I understand" he was stammering at me. I smiled at him and then let the vision flow through me. I could feel his love for her and hers for him emanate through onto him. They were so happy in my vision. He had to feel that, didn't he? "Oh" he whispered as he registered the intense feelings. The rest of the family felt them too.

Carlisle spoke then, "What do we do now?" No one answered for a long time. There weren't going to be any answers tonight. Who knew if we would ever have them?

"Bella's going to be waking up soon, I have to go back. I promised I would stay the whole night. I'm going to take her to school" Edward said. "You are staying home today Alice". He implored me with a look that dared me to argue.

"I can keep my thoughts under control Edward, but fine I will stay home. It will be better for us all to talk now" I answered back. I saw how his day would go, he would be sulky and distant and Bella would worry. I sighed.

Jasper

I was utterly… dumbfounded. Yes, that was the word I was looking for. Alice had seen me in love with Bella? How would that ever be possible? The love I felt for Alice seemed to be so all consuming. She was my world; I could not picture myself without her. I was panicking and I knew it. Maybe it was just one of those visions that passed without coming true. I heard Edward mutter something like "you better hope so" under his breath as he stalked off back to Charlie's house for Bella.

I turned to my mother and father then, "Esme, Carlisle I am so sorry about the house. I promise to fix it today". Carlisle placed a hand on my shoulder and Esme reached up to touch my face both of them looking worried.

"Don't worry about it son", Carlisle said to me. "We know it wasn't your fault". Esme was nodding in agreement. He turned to Alice then. "Explain to us in full your vision Alice; don't leave out a single detail".

"Jasper's decision has not been made yet, so it's not completely clear" She sang out. "But if he decides to stay by himself or at some point come back to check on Bella, they will fall in love and he will change her. That's all I see for now". I looked at her doubtfully. She was hiding something else. I knew that because of how well I knew her. I would have to get her alone and coax it out of her.

"Holy crap"! Emmett thundered. Leave it to the big bear of a brother of mine to just blurt out what the rest of us were thinking. I smiled.

"Alice, what did you mean before by the two of you weren't meant to fall in love?" Esme asked in a whisper. I could feel her worry and pain flow through and I tried to calm it, but I was so confused, I wasn't doing a good job.

"I had a vision the first time I met Jasper" she began in a whisper. She looked so guilty it was heart breaking to watch. "I could not see who he was with, but I know it was not me. He was so happy and love was pouring through the image. I could feel it every time I saw it. I saw that I would be his best friend and we would love each other but in a very different way. When we fell in love, I pushed the vision out of my mind. I just thought maybe this was one of the visions that could never be. I never thought about it again, until just now. I had the same vision, but this time I saw her face. It's Bella. You were always meant for Bella. I'm meant for someone else".

Everyone was looking at her like she had lost her mind. Myself included. I knew things were bad between us lately, but I never ever thought they were bad enough for us to go our separate ways. Since that first day I met her in the diner I had loved her. I still loved her. I pushed those feelings out to her now and she smiled her most dazzling smile back at me. My answering smile was just as big but probably nowhere near as dazzling. Alice was breath taking.

"Well this is certainly something I never saw coming" Carlisle muttered. Had anyone? Besides Alice I mean. We all stood there looking at each other for a few minutes in silence. Rosalie was the first to speak.

"Who exactly are you meant for Alice?" she asked. Alice just shrugged her shoulders. That was it. That was what she was hiding from me. I knew it without a doubt. And suddenly I was angry.

"Why did you never tell me? Why did you let me fall in love you? And we did you fall in love me?" I spat at her. My anger was pulsing through the room. It made her just as angry in her response.

"It's not like I had that vision every day Jasper. They aren't always perfect you know. You guys rely on my sight entirely too much. I do too". She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. I was defeated now. No longer angry so it was much easier for her. "Falling in love with you was so easy Jasper. It came so easy and effortlessly, I could not stop it, as you could not either".

"So where do we go from here?" I asked her pleading.

"You have to make a choice Jazz. If we leave, we stay together for now, but you will come back. I can't see why, but you will. If one of us changes Bella now, you still fall in love with her. Can't you see it is inevitable? It is your fate and your destiny. Who am I to stand in the way of your destiny?"

"You are my life Alice. You are my mate, my love, my everything. I refuse to believe there is anyone else out there who could ever hold a candle to what you mean to me". I was flooding the room with my feelings then and they were so intense that all the vampires in the room were looking at their mate quite lovingly. Carlisle had stepped closer to Esme and wrapped his arms around her waist. Emmett had moved to sit beside Rosalie on the couch and was whispering into her ear. I definitely did not want to keep listening to what he was telling her would happen between them later. I tried to send out any other emotion, but I was spent from all that had happened in the last 12 hours.

"Why don't you two go somewhere and talk privately" Carlisle suggested. "We don't need to hear everything that happens right now. When you reach a decision please let us know". He picked up Esme and ran up the stairs. Alice linked her fingers with mine and pulled me towards the hole Edward's body had left in the wall. We both leapt through it at the same time and started running still holding hands. I heard Rose giggling behind us, but there was no way I was going to turn around and see what was happening with them.

We ran for miles in comfortable silence. When we reached the clearing we usually played baseball in, Alice stopped and turned to face me.

"We need to talk sometime Jazz, we can't run forever".

"Sure we can" I disagreed with her as I pulled her face in for a passionate kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter is on the long side and switches point of view quite a bit. Sorry for that I wanted to get as much explained (plus I couldn't stop writing) and needed the multiple P.O.V.'s to do that. Enjoy & please let me know what you think! Thanks!**

Alice P.O.V.

I let Jasper kiss me for as long as he wanted to. I did not want to have this conversation with him. It was going to be so hard for both of us. Finally he stopped and sighed. Here goes nothing I thought as I took a small step away from him. It would help me if I wasn't so close to him.

"I don't know what to do Alice. How am I supposed to respond to something like that?" Hell if I know I thought. And then I saw another vision. Jasper was with me. He will choose me. I shook my head in disbelief this was all wrong. Every vision I had about him & Bella was so beautiful & love filled that I couldn't stand in their way. Besides, I had my own destiny to seek out. The vision continued. Bella would die. If Jasper chooses me, Bella would die. I moved away from him and crumpled to the ground.

"Alice?" Jasper was panicking. "Alice, what did you see?" He was kneeling in front of me, shaking my shoulders slightly. I could not focus on him. I knew I had to answer him, but I just could not make my mouth open to say the words. The vision just kept coming. After Bella died, Edward would die. He would go to Italy and expose himself as a vampire. The Volturi would waste no time in getting rid of him.

"No" I whispered shaking my head. "NO!"

"Alice? Please tell what did you see?"

I still could not answer him. He sat there staring into my eyes for a long time. Finally I was able to speak. When I was finished all Jasper could do was say no and shake his head just like me. I decided right then that there was no way I could let this happen. I would not let anything happen to Bella or Edward.

"Alice, what do we do?" Jasper asked me desperately.

"I think you know Jazz. We have been out of sync for so long I am quite surprised we have not gone our separate ways a long time ago. I love you, but I honestly do not think I am in love with you. You are my best friend and always will be. I think that's enough for both of us. We should be with the people we were meant for". I answered honestly. Jasper went to protest, but I stopped him. "Can you honestly say you are in love with me still? That we're always going to be together? Human couples break up all the time Jazz, why should our kind think it's any different for us?"

Jasper nodded slowly in agreement. "I think you are right. If you were to ask me to stay Alice, I would. I will never leave you as long as you want me or need me".

"You know I would never ask you to do that. I would never, ever stand in the way of your destiny" I responded. "I would not be able to live with myself if I got in the way of something that has the potential to be the best thing that has ever happened to you".

It was so sad to be coming to this. I knew it was coming, I had felt it, seen it; but now that it was here? It was unbearable. We sat in the clearing until it was almost time for Edward to be coming home from school. Jasper sighed then. We should go back and tell the others our decision. I nodded and grabbed his face in between my hands. "I love you and always will Jazz. No matter what". He murmured the same thing back to me and then we kissed for the last time. We ran back to the house in silence. The others were waiting for us. I thought about waiting for Edward, but then decided that this would be better if the rest of them knew about it before he got home. We would need them on our side.

"Alice, Jasper what have you decided to do?" Esme asked us as we came into the living room.

"We will leave like Edward wants us to" I answered. I had already told Jasper this is what I saw us doing. "And at some point Jasper will come back and whatever happens will happen".

"It will be so strange to not see you two together" Carlisle told us seriously. "It's always seemed like you two just belonged together, but if you have fallen out of love with each other there is nothing that can be done about it. I just want you both to be happy and I sincerely hope you will choose to stay with the family".

"Of course we will Carlisle. We are part of this family and you could not get rid of us if you wanted to" Jasper answered him grinning.

"Oh honey, we will never, ever want to get rid of either one of you. Or any of our children" Esme beamed at Jasper.

We all heard Edward's car turning off the highway then. Carlisle sighed, "This is not going to be fun is it Alice?" I looked ahead to the fight that I thought was sure to ensue with Edward.

"It won't be as bad as we all think, but he is definitely not going to take well to Jasper and me splitting up right now, especially after my vision". Carlisle nodded. Of course we all expected as much. Emmett was suddenly moving to my side, I turned to look at him curiously. Usually whenever Edward or any of us were angry, Emmett stayed as close to Rosalie as possible.

"We're a united front sis" he was grinning down to me. "There's no way we're going to risk anyone's safety if Edward get that angry again". And with that he pulled Rosalie behind him.

"I can defend myself Em" she told him obviously offended. He just nodded and lovingly smiled at her.

Edward had parked in the garage and was now heading to the house. So we stood there, Carlisle and Esme a few feet in front of us holding hands; Emmett on my left with Rose halfway behind him and Jasper to my right. Edward is going to think this an ambush as soon as he walks in, I sighed and then he was in the door.

Edward P.O.V.

When I walked through the door I tensed up immediately. They were all there waiting for me. It looked as though they were planning an ambush. I tried to pick up on their thoughts so I could prepare myself, but not one of them was thinking something useful. How frustrating they could be when they all purposely blocked their thoughts from me at the same time.

_Who in the world am I going to get to fix my house? How would I ever explain to someone that my sons had gotten into a fight, and one threw the other through it but don't worry they are both okay? _ It was Esme.

_Maybe we should go to Denali. We can tell the townsfolk I accepted a job in Los Angeles. _Carlisle was logically thinking of ways to explain our departure from the town. _Bella would be the only one who knows that to be a lie, but at least then she would not know where we are and she would not try to follow us._

_I wonder where we will go. I need to investigate the shopping possibilities wherever it is. _I almost smiled; of course Alice would want to know where all the good stores were. She truly did love to shop, maybe she even had a shopping addiction, but I would never tell her I thought that. That little pixie would have my tongue cut out.

_I need to find a way to fix Esme's house. Who knows when she will want to come back and she should not have to deal with it. I'm the one who broke it. _It was Jasper. I sighed; of course I was to blame as well. I would try to help him, if he would let me.

_I don't know why he insists on standing in front of me like this. I am perfectly capable of defending myself. _What on Earth would Rosalie have to defend herself against? Me? I would never risk Emmett's wrath by attacking her, no matter what happened next.

_Come on guys, let's get this over with. I bet we are going to Denali. I could definitely go for a few fights with a polar bear. _Emmett was planning his new food conquests.

"We're leaving" Carlisle told me. "I'm not sure where we are going yet, but the story for Forks will be that I accepted a job in Los Angeles. Bella would be sure to stay here and not follow us if she does not know where we are going for sure. It was last minute".

We all nodded our heads in unison. I looked at my brothers and sisters again and their posture alerted me to something. Emmett was standing too close to Alice, almost protectively. He always worried about Rosalie and left Alice to Jasper who was quite capable to take care of her.

"What else has been decided?" I all but sneered at them.

Alice sighed, "Calm down Edward. It's nothing bad, Jasper and I have decided to break up so to speak. We are both staying with the family and we will be the best of friends, but no longer together". I was angry, was this because of her vision? How could they do this to me? I felt my own despair magnified by Jasper's emotions as he felt mine. I almost lunged at him again, but I decided it wouldn't be fair to Esme to inflict more damage to her house.

"Why?"

_You really are going to make this harder than it has to be aren't you? We don't love each other in that way anymore Edward. It's been coming for a very long time; it was inevitable and has absolutely nothing to do with that vision. _I nodded at Alice, "I see".

"How much time do you need to get ready to leave Edward?" Carlisle asked me. "We need to start making preparations to leave".

"2 days. I also will be attending school alone. It's going to be hard enough as it is for her to accept my leaving, I won't put her through the emotional toll of a goodbye to Alice too, or the rest of you. I will see her at school and Charlie's. A clean break will be better". Alice went to argue with me, but Carlisle took my side.

"Let's get started" Carlisle said when Alice was done pouting.

Alice P.O.V

We had moved to Canada. Carlisle had not planned on staying here long so we all enrolled as seniors at the local high school. He told me in private that if what I saw was really going to happen relatively soon, we would be moving back to Forks for Bella. I was the only one who knew the truth and I blocked it from Edward every time I was around him.

"You're leaving us today aren't you?" I asked Edward. It had been about three months since we left Forks.

"Yes. I'm going to try and track Victoria. She's the only threat left to Bella and I need to make sure that she can never hurt her again" he answered me. I saw it happen in my vision when he made up his mind yesterday. I could not see the outcome of it, which worried me but Edward was so stubborn, I knew there was no way I could change his mind.

"You'll tell Esme and Carlisle? It will devastate them if you don't".

"Yes and the others". I hugged him and walked out of his room. I would see him soon.

One day at school we were told we would begin to write pen pal letters to students at Forks High in English. Of all the places in the world for us to befriend, and the school had to pick Forks? Well this will be interesting I thought. I could not wait until I saw who wrote me. What if it was Bella? Edward had been gone for a week by this point, with no sign of returning anytime soon. I missed him as my brother, but also a little more than that, but I kept pushing the thoughts out of my head. The next week we got our letters. We had all agreed to wait until we got home and compare who got who. I of course already knew I had Angela Weber, once I choose my envelope. I liked her, this would be fun.

"I got Mike Newton!" Emmett exclaimed incredulously. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Rosalie was giggling at him. He glowered at her and then smiled as she told us she got Jessica Stanley. "I cannot believe this. My IQ has gone down 20 points just reading the first two lines" she sighed. I tried to stifle a laugh, but could not help it. She turned on me then, "And who did you get Miss Giggly?"

"Angela Weber" I answered smugly.

"You have all the best luck" she complained to me.

"What about you Jazz?" Emmett asked.

"I got Bella" Jasper answered softly. We all froze at the mention of her name. I almost tore the letter from his hands to read it. I needed to know how she was. I missed her so terribly. I had not seen that coming. I had promised Edward I would not check up on her future and so far I was keeping my word.

"How is she?" I cried at him as I bounced up and down. I couldn't contain myself.

"I honestly can't tell. There's not much to it" he admitted. I could not help myself then and I snatched the letter and read it out loud.

_Hello. My name is Bella Swan and I live in Forks, Washington with my dad Charlie. My best friend and her family moved away recently. I work at an outdoors store. I have no siblings. Do you have a big family? What do you like to do in your spare time?_

"That's it? That can't be it". I turned the letter over. Nope, that was it.

"It looks like she took our leaving harder than any of us thought" Esme said quitely from the doorway. I was so busy studying every line of the too short letter that I had not heard her come in.

"Yes" Jasper said thoughtfully. He took the letter from me and stalked out the door. The anger radiating after him was so intense, I immediately understood why he felt the need to go off alone for a bit.

"Where's he going?" Emmett asked. Everyone looked at me, but Jasper was changing his mind so quickly I could not see his final decision yet. I shrugged at them.

Jasper P.O.V.

I was angry, maybe even beyond angry. I wish Edward had been here to see this. To see what he had done to her. You could feel the pain radiating off the paper, well I could at least. I thought about calling him then, but decided not to. Esme would be so mad at me if I called to fight with him. She was still upset that both of us seemed to be okay with not talking right now. I went hunting and thought about how best to answer that letter. When I got home the others were filling Carlisle in on what their letters said and who they were from. Rose was trying to buy Alice off to get her hands on Angela's and give Alice Jessica's letter. Alice was not budging.

"Let me see the letter for myself Jasper" Carlisle told me when I walked in. I handed it to him and looked at the rest of my family. Of course they had told him about mine already. "I see. How do you plan to respond?"

"I'm not sure. I will tell her my first name, but definitely not the last. I can't lie in class about my name".

Carlisle was nodding thoughtfully, "Of course you can't. None of you can and should not, but how about you all leave off last names? Will that work Alice?"

Alice's eye unfocused for a few minutes and then she opened them smiling, "Yes. Jessica, Mike, and Angela will wonder between themselves if it's really us, but they will not bring it up to Bella. It seems she took our leaving very hard and is just now starting to come around. None of them want to risk seeing her in that kind of pain again. She will suspect it to be Jasper and ask them who they got; they will give us fake names. I can't tell if she will believe them or not as the names they will give us haven't been decided yet".

"I guess I better go write a response then" I said and went up the stairs to my room. I figured the best way to start was to tell her my name right away and a little bit about my family, as little as I could.

_Hi Bella, my name is Jasper. I just moved to Canada recently and find it very peaceful. _No reason to tell her where in Canada. _I have two sisters and two brothers, although one of my brothers has gone off by himself and I feel like I only have one now. The one who left and I have been fighting and have a strained relationship at this point. My parents are wonderful people and adopted me many years ago. I used to have one of the best girlfriend's in the entire universe, but things started to deteriorate between us and we decided to just be best friends. It's working out even more wonderful than I thought it would. _I smiled it really was. Alice and I were just so much better this way. _So tell me about your dad, what is he like? Are you like him? What do you like to do in your spare time? I like to read in mine. Well I guess that's all for now. Hope to hear from you soon! _Maybe ending it cheerfully would get her to be more cheerful in her next letter. I hoped she would answer my questions openly and give me a little more insight to how she really was doing.

Bella P.O.V.

I shoved the envelope in my book and slammed it shut. I would deal with it later. I really did not want to deal with it all, but knew I had to in order to get a descent grade in English. The rest of the day went by in a blur. I worked after school and then headed to La Push to see Jacob, my best friend. We hung out for a few hours and then I went home. The worst part of my day was at night. I had entirely too much free time on my hands and usually could not help myself and thought of him. I mumbled a hello to Charlie and went to the kitchen to get a granola bar. He followed me.

"How's Jake?" He asked.

"He's good. We had a lot of fun. I'm so behind on my homework though. I have to go respond to a pen pal letter for English and do some trig".

"Ok, have fun" he turned and went back to the couch.

Once in my room I pulled the letter out and sat at my desk. I opened and started to read. HOLY CROW! This can't be Jasper, not the Jasper I'm thinking of. I kept reading it, it really did seem like it was Edward's brother. He said him and his girlfriend had broken up. Why? If it really was this Jasper, then why would they ever break up? They seemed perfect together. I decided I needed to get to the bottom of this. I pulled out a piece of paper and began to write furiously.

_Hello Jasper. I'm sorry to hear that you and your girlfriend broke up. If you don't mind me asking, if she was so great what happened? _I could afford to be this nosey. _I'm also sorry to hear that your brother left. You seem like a nice guy and I'm sure you two will patch things up. My dad is very quiet and keeps to himself most of the time. I really take after him that way, and we live comfortably together. I like to read in my spare time too. What is the rest of your family like? I honestly have not had much time to read lately though. I've spent most of my free time in my best friend's garage, watching him rebuild two motorcycles. We took them out for a ride a few times and I crashed each time. I have to admit I am pretty klutzy and attract danger. I can't wait to hear back from you! Bella _The last line was true; I wanted to hear from Jasper. I had to verify it was him.

The next day at lunch I decided to ask my friends what their pen pals names were. They all looked nervously at each other and Angela was the first to stammer an answer, "April". Mike and Jessica followed with an "Evan" and "Robin". Huh. There was an A, E, and R just like in Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie. Interesting, it seemed contrived to me and not very imaginative. I kept my thoughts to myself and pondered in silence.

Jasper P.O.V.

Bella's return letter was much longer this time. I answered her questions as honestly as I could without giving too much about ourselves. I asked more questions and threw in a couple book tittles I loved to read. I knew from that second letter that she had already figured out who I was. Edward always said Bella was more observant than he gave her credit for. So what? What if she did know it was me? Was I harming her in any way by continuing to talk to her? I refused to believe it. Her letters kept getting more cheerful and open. I was helping her. I could feel it. We were developing a friendship, is this how it was supposed to start between us? The letters were flowing freely back and forth for 2 months now.

I was reading her latest letter in the living room when suddenly Alice was flying down the stairs and came to halt in front of me.

"You're leaving for Forks tonight!" she shouted at me. It sounded more like an accusation than a statement. "That letter you're reading from Bella, she's telling you about trying to find Edward's meadow isn't she? Isn't she?" she was all but shrieking at me. The rest of the family came in to find out what was going on. They all looked as confused as I was, I felt Alice's panic then and now I was in a panic. They all felt it and started asking her what was wrong, but she was just glaring at me waiting for an answer.

"Yes" was all I could say.

"Laurent will find her in that meadow and kill her Jasper! You HAVE to leave now!!" she started shoving me to the door.

"Are you sure Alice? It's Laurent?" Carlisle was asking from behind her. She whirled around to face him.

"Do you doubt me? You think I don't know what I saw? Laurent is in the meadow waiting for her, he will make a move and then it all disappears". Disappeared? How strange, her visions have never just disappeared. I could feel her frustration rolling off her body in intense waves.

"Maybe we should all go then" Carlisle said.

"NO! NO! NO! This is the thing we've been waiting for, this is what makes Jasper go alone to fall in love with her" Alice roared at him. She rarely felt the need to yell at any of us, but especially not Carlisle. I knew in that moment, that she would not budge on this.

I tried to send out calming waves, but my emotions were all over the place. I had formed a friendship with Bella in these letters and I truly did not want anything to happen to her. I was worried and nervous about Alice's vision of Bella and I in love. I tried to push it out of my mind; I could not worry about that now. The thought kept creeping back, what if I could not control myself around her and killed her? No, I could not worry about that now. Bella needed me and I would go. Once my mind was made up Alice turned to face me again.

"Good luck Jazz. You need to do this alone, but please keep in touch. And give my best to Bella. I can't wait to see her again" excitement was gleaming in her eyes.

I turned and said goodbye to each of my family members then and left for Forks in Carlisle's car. It would get me there faster than running. Before I had left Alice told me I had two days before Bella was in the meadow. It would take me less than that to reach Forks. I supposed I would be spending the rest of my time planning how to approach Bella. Should I wait for the meadow? How close could I let it get, before I had to step in. I tried to call Alice to ask her advice, but she wasn't answering. Strange, Alice always answered. I tried Carlisle instead. When I brought up how I had tried Alice first, he brushed me off and kept me busy talking so I never got a chance to ask why she wasn't answering. Was she mad at me for coming to save Bella like this? She ordered me to! I could see why she was mad though. We had loved each other for years, yes that must be it.

Alice P.O.V.

Leaving my family was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I explained it to them as soon Jasper was on his way. I did not want Jasper to know what I was doing yet. I had ordered them all to secrecy and forced them to stay behind. Emmett was such a baby when he did not get his way. He wanted to help me, but the vision I had only involved me. I was going after Edward. Victoria would kill him if I did not go help him. He needed me. I kept to myself my visions of Edward and me together. They would find out soon enough.

Jasper P.O.V.

I made it to Forks with a few hours to go. I went straight to our old house and parked in the garage. Edward and I had paid for the repairs to fix the house and when I walked in, it looked exactly as it had before that incident. Other things have certainly changed I mused to myself. There was a strange scent in the house. A vampire, Laurent's I thought. What was he doing here? Had he come looking for us and when we weren't here then decided he would go after Bella? I ran to mine and Alice's old room and threw on some fresh clothes. I ran as fast as I could to Bella's house. What if he did not wait for the meadow? I jumped up to her window and peeked in. She was sound asleep in her bed. There was no trace of Laurent here. I decided I was staying for the night; no I was staying close to her until this Laurent thing was put behind us. I hoped she would not be afraid of me in person. It seemed like she was just fine in the letters, but the last time I had actually seen her I had tried to kill her. Would she be afraid of me? I would expect nothing less. Well if she decided she did not want anything to do with me, I would follow her privately until Laurent was gone. And when he was gone, then what? I was not sure.

I decided to wait until Bella got to the meadow to show myself. I needed to get to Laurent to take care of him and that was the best way to do it, while ensuring her safety. It took awhile but when she finally broke through to the meadow, I was instantly crumpled to the ground by the magnitude of her pain. She was racked with it. Why would she feel the need to come here? She had to have known how bad her pain was going to be. While I was immobile, Laurent had started moving towards her. I was up as soon as I felt her pain switch to fear.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but life has gotten in the way. Plus, I wasn't happy with the direction of the story and had to switch a few things. I hope you enjoy and please review! Thank you so much to those of you already have. I hope you like it.**

Bella P.O.V.

I should run, but what good would that do me? Laurent would catch me before I even turned. In the blink of an eye there was a new vampire crouching in front of me the snarls and growls erupting from deep within his chest and at a deafening volume at Laurent. I recognized him immediately, "Jasper" I breathed. Jasper did not even turn around to look at me, but instead focused on Laurent. What the hell was Jasper doing here? Why was he back in Forks?

"Why hello there Jasper, I was not aware that any of you Cullen's were left in the area". Laurent smiled politely to Jasper and took a step forward.

Jasper stayed crouched in front of me but did answer, "I noticed you're scent around the house and Alice saw you here killing Bella". Jasper had been home? Alice saw me in the meadow with Laurent? Where were the rest of them? Where was he? The pain ripped through me and I saw Jasper sway a little as he felt the weight of it.

"Bella I do not mean to be rude, but could you please try to reign in your pain? I will not be able to properly save your life if I am writhing on the ground in pain myself" Jasper said to me. I tried to answer him, but I was still too shocked to speak so I just went back to feeling fear. "Thank you" Jasper said.

Laurent laughed, "Of course I should have known that dear Alice would see me here and send someone to stop me. I do have to admit I am quite surprised to see it is you and not Edward. Hmm has Edward grown weary of protecting the girl and let you take his place?"

Jasper snarled back at him and crouched lower, "Alice did not send me. I came on my own and Edward is none of your concern".

"Well it seems to me that I am going to have to fight you for her and I truly wish it was not so. I like you Jasper. It's a shame to have to come to this. Victoria will be so pleased when I tell her that I not only killed Edward's mate, but his brother as well. It will be much easier for us to dispose of the rest of your family with you and your emotions out of the way" Laurent was positively beaming at this thought and started moving towards us. Jasper began backing up and pushing me along behind him. He never turned to face me, just pushed my body back with his.

We had reached the forest at the same time Laurent had reached us. I knew my slow human pace was seriously slowing us down, but Jasper was calm and never faltered in his defense. This is it, I'm going to die I thought. And then both vampires sniffed the air and froze. I looked around wildly for the cause, what on earth could possibly stop a vampire? I stood there mouth gaping open as I saw the wolves descending on us. They were huge! A russet colored one turn to look at me and then snarled at Jasper in front of me and then he was gone. I looked up in time to see Laurent take off running in the opposite direction with the wolves in pursuit. That was the last thing I saw in the meadow that day.

Jasper had picked me up and was running back towards my truck then. I just sat there and let him run with me. We reached my truck in record time. I forgot how much I had started to enjoy running right before the Cullens had left. It was exhilarating.

"Where's the keys Bella?" Jasper was asking me. I pulled them out of my pocket and handed them to him. I had planned on arguing that I could drive myself, but I knew better. I was in no shape to drive. I couldn't even speak. Plus, Jasper would drive way faster and get us the hell out of here. He put me in the passenger side very gently and then we were speeding away.

"Bella are you okay?" he asked me. I nodded. "It's okay Bella, you are safe now. You will always be safe from now on I promise you". I stopped listening, hadn't I heard these same promises from his brother before? I stared out the window until his phone rang. He answered it without looking at the caller id.

"Yes Alice we are both fine. I promise you. I don't know why you're vision suddenly went blank, what does Carlisle think? What do you mean you're not able to ask Carlisle?" Alice! I thought, oh how I missed her. I wanted to the rip the phone from his hand and talk to her myself. Instead I kept listening to Jasper's side of the conversation. "I thought you promised Carlisle and Esme that you would not leave the family like Edward did? I had good reason, and you practically threw me out! Oh I see" and then he was listening and murmuring in agreement. I was completely confused and a little panicky. Alice and Edward had both left the family. Huh. What was going on? I was anxious to get Jasper off the phone so I could start questioning him. I needed and felt I deserved some damn answers.

Jasper P.O.V.

I listened as Alice told me her vision of Edward dying and how she had to go save him. Why wouldn't she have brought Emmett with her? I kept her on the phone the rest of the way to Charlie's. I could feel Bella's impatience and knew as soon as I hung up that she would be waiting to interrogate me. I turned to face her after I had parked her truck, better get this over with. Luckily Charlie wasn't home today so we had time to talk. That was good; I could only imagine what Charlie's reaction would be to me. I did not think he would be very receptive.

"Why are you here Jasper? Where's Alice? Why did she leave the family?" Bella demanded.

I smiled. Bella had not changed a bit. Her curiosity had always amused me. She smiled tentatively at me and then sighed. "I'm sorry; I do not mean to be so rude. It's just, why are you here? I mean don't get me wrong, I am grateful and alive because you are, but why?" Her scent was amazingly intoxicating in the small confines of the truck and I could feel the venom pooling in my mouth. I had to get her out of here and to some place where it wasn't as intense.

"Would you like to go somewhere to talk? I think I need some fresh air to clear my head". She smiled in understanding. Nothing got past her, how had Edward ever thought he could keep things? I went to step out of the truck and she stopped me.

"I thought we were going somewhere to talk?" she asked.

I stared at her confused, "We are, but Bella it will be much faster and easier to get you home in time for Charlie if we ran somewhere".

Bella started furiously shaking her head back and forth. I could feel her pain rip through her body again and she clutched her arms around her chest like she was trying to hold herself together. She was in horrible pain. I knew I would find her in pain, but the intensity of it was staggering. I was wallowing in her pain with her and giving her time to collect herself. Finally she spoke.

"I'm not running anywhere with you. I already let you run with me once and I let myself almost enjoy it. The pain that the memory of that run is going to cause is something I'm not going to subject myself to twice in one day. If you want to go somewhere else then drive, if not then just leave me".

I nodded in understanding. The posture of her trying to hold herself together and her words made sense with the pain I was feeling from her. Bella was trying her hardest to be strong but seeing me was undoing her resolve. I took a few moments to push past her pain and let myself feel my own calming feelings. When I finally spoke I made sure to speak as softly as possible. She looked ready to fall apart at the seams and I was trying to avoid that at all costs. "Bella we don't have to run anywhere. I won't force you to talk to me or even see me anymore. I came to make sure that you weren't killed by Laurent and my job is done now. I will leave". I felt her panic at the thought of me leaving and added, "If you want me to stay and talk how about we go inside? Since your father isn't home we can just talk here if that will make you more comfortable". She shook her head yes and moved to get out of the truck. I followed her to the front door and pretended not to notice when she reached up under the eaves for the key and unlocked the door. She walked in and sank down on the couch. I followed her and sat next her. She looked up at me and I could see the tears that were threatening to start pouring down her cheeks.

"Why are you here Jasper? Why did you even bother to intervene? Why didn't you just let Laurent kill me so I can finally get rid of this pain altogether?" I was shocked. She wanted to die? I looked deep into her eyes and the answer came tumbling out.

"I came because Alice saw it. I was reading your last letter about finding that meadow and she saw it. How could I just sit back and let him kill you Bella? I may be a monster, but I'm not that much of a monster. It is our fault Laurent even knew anything about you, so I came to rectify that situation. It was the least I could do".

"The least you could do?" she snarled at me. "It was the least you could do? You know what Jasper I think the least you could have done was let him kill me. The least you could have done was pretend to be someone else when you got my pen pal letter for English. They least you could have done was stayed out of my life and pretended to not exist like he promised all of you would do" she was screaming at me by this point and I just sat there taking it and letting her get it all out. "The least you could have done was stopped him from leaving me in the first place! And lastly the least you could have done was tried to control your thirst and NOT tried to kill me that day of my birthday!"

She was right. That was absolutely the least I could have done. Had I not been thirsty the night of her party or had I been in better control I wouldn't have tried to kill her. It was all my fault. I looked up and she was sobbing uncontrollably. Her chest was heaving with each sob and the tears were streaming down her cheeks by now. Even though I had already felt the extent of her pain, in that instant I truly saw what our leaving had done to her and I promised myself that I would never let anything hurt her like that ever again.

"Bella" I started to say, but suddenly she moved closer and was inches away from my face.

"Unless you can magically make my pain completely disappear and make me have amnesia to forget him, you need to just shut the hell up and leave". I nodded. I knew coming here was a risk and I knew that she might not receive me well, but I never expected this. I stood up and started walking towards the door. What happened next shocked me to my very core. Bella was up and behind me and had thrown her arms around my waist. Her face was buried in my back and I was shaking from the sobs that were now ripping out of her small body.

"No Jasper please don't leave. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" she was sobbing out. I turned around and enveloped her into my arms. She buried her head in my chest and just sobbed. We stood there for an immeasurable amount of time. When she had finally stopped crying and had her breathing under control I took her hand and led her over to the couch. She sat as close to me as she could and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

"Bella I need you to please let me say what I need to and not interrupt me okay?" She nodded and even though I didn't need to, I took a deep breath before I continued. "I am so unbelievably sorry about everything that has happened. I know I can never apologize enough or expect you to forgive me, but please know how very much I regret my behavior from the night of your birthday. I am so sorry that I tried to attack you. You will never know how very sorry I am. I also am so sorry that it caused Edward and all of us to leave you. I wish I could turn back time and redo that night over again. You're right, I should have lied about who I was in the pen pal letters. We thought that honesty was the best policy and now I can see that we were wrong. The one thing I will not apologize for is saving you today. I will never apologize for what I did and if I could I would do it over and over again. You are such a special person Bella and you deserve to live". I felt her emotions and all she was putting out was worthlessness. She honestly thought she wasn't worth it. What the hell had Edward told her when he left?

"Can I have my turn now?" she asked sheepishly. I nodded and she continued, "I am sorry for what I said earlier Jasper. I forgave you the night of my party and I honestly didn't mean what I said earlier. My emotions are out of control and I was mad and I just said it without thinking about how it would hurt you". She smiled at me, "I'm honestly so glad you did tell me who you were in your letters. You may not believe me, but talking to you that way really has helped me and I wouldn't change the friendship that I feel we started in those letters. Thank you so much for coming to save me. You didn't have to and I am so happy you did. I really do want to live I promise. Now will you please tell me where Alice is?"

I let out a small laugh, I just couldn't help myself. She grinned at me and waited for my answer. "Alice says she had a vision of Edward needing her help, so she left to go find him. That's all she will tell me about it". She nodded and I felt the pain at the mention of his name. I sent a calming feeling over her and she smiled appreciatively. "Bella I know this is going to be hard for you to answer, but what did Edward tell you when he broke up with you? I need to know".

She took a deep breath and answered so softly that had I not had vampire ears I wouldn't have heard her, "He told me he didn't want me anymore". I went instantly rigid with my anger. How the hell could Edward take the easy way out? With all his talk of her being safer without us around and he freaking tells her he didn't want her anymore? What the hell was the matter with him?

"Bella, please believe me when I tell you that Edward lied to you. We left because we thought you would be safer without any vampires around". She started shaking her head no at me. I sighed, "Why do you think he wouldn't want you anymore after all the love that has passed between you two? I've felt his love for you and I felt his pain when he left. It feels exactly the same as your pain for losing him".

"No Jasper I don't believe you. It always seemed to me that he was too good for me and that he would one day leave me. I knew that, but I just wasn't prepared for it to actually happen. He's so much better than me. If he loved me so much as you claim, then how come he wasn't the one who came back to save me?" she asked seriously.

I could feel that she honestly believed he was too good for and that she wasn't worthy of him. It made the anger flare up inside me again. I tried to control it, but I was fighting a losing battle. I needed to get out of here and take my anger out on some trees. "He didn't come back to save you because he left us after we left you. He said he needed some time away from the family and took off. I truly believe that had he been with us when Alice had that vision, he would be the one here with you. And he definitely isn't too good for you, you have always been too good for him". Bella started to protest with me again and I held up a hand to silence her. "You have such a pure, giving heart and are a beautiful girl on the inside and out Bella. You _are _too good for him. Please don't argue with me, I am very patient and will never let you win this one".

She sighed, "Thank you Jasper. Thank you for being here and for saving me. Thank you for your kind words and thank you so much for helping to ease my pain. Are you staying in Forks much longer or will you be going back?"

"I honestly don't know Bella. Alice told me she sees me staying here for awhile. How would you feel about that?" I felt it before she said it. She was relieved at the thought and grateful.

"I would like it very much if you would stay". I could hear Charlie's car coming down the street now and told her so. The panic that flashed across her face and through her emotions told me that the good police chief would not be very receptive to find me here.

"Charlie is going to flip out if he finds me here isn't he?" I asked her and she nodded in confirmation. "Okay, I'll go out the back. You don't even have to tell him I'm in town if you don't want to. I will be staying at the house and no one will know I'm here. I'll go out the back so he doesn't see me". I pushed all the peaceful, calm energy I could at her and stood to leave. She stood too and surprised me by hugging me. I gently hugged her back and then an idea struck. I wrote down my cell phone number and handed it to her. "Call me anytime you need to talk or to just feel some peace. You can call at any time because you know I don't sleep. I'll be there whenever you need". I could hear Charlie pull up in the driveway now. It's a good thing I'm fast.

"Thank you Jasper, I will" she smiled at me and I left.

As soon as I was out the back door and running through the forest towards home, my anger consumed me. My phone started to ring and I looked at the caller id, it was Alice again. I ignored it and shoved it in my pocket. I ran to the clearing we used to play baseball in and made it a little bigger. After I had destroyed about twenty trees, I heard my phone ringing again. I growled a hello into it without even looking at the id this time.

"Why hello to you too grumpy pants. What the heck did I do to deserve a greeting like that?" Emmett's voice sulked.

"I'm sorry Em, it's just been a very emotional day with Bella and it's taking a toll on me".

"Yes Alice told me. She said she tried to call you but you wouldn't answer".

"What else did she tell you?" I said.

"Nothing Jazz. She only said that you were angry and thinning out some trees and wouldn't answer for her. She saw that you would answer for me. What are you angry about anyways?" Emmett asked casually.

"I'm angry because of the state of pain I found Bella in at our brother's betrayal of her love for him".

"What the hell do you mean? Jasper what happened?" I could hear the plea in Emmett's voice. He thought of Bella as a sister and hated for her to be in any pain.

I sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time today, "He lied to her when he broke up with her Em. He told her the reason we were leaving was because he didn't want her anymore and she believed him. She feels unworthy of his or anyone else's love".

"HE TOLD HER WHAT?" Emmett roared. I gave him a minute to calm down. Emmett's hearing was just as good as mine and I knew he was just reacting to what I had said. I could hear the rest of the family in the background asking him what was going on. I heard each one of their reactions as he relayed all of what I had told him.

"How could he lie to her like that?" Esme asked, the disappointment was evident in her voice.

"That must have been the only way he could think of to get her to let him go" Carlisle was defending him as always.

Rosalie was hissing a string of profanities so fast that I was having a hard time keeping up with them. She finally stopped when Esme warned her about her language.

"I can't believe he would that to her" Emmett finally whispered. "What else did he tell her?"

"Bella mentioned something about him promising her that it would be as if we had never existed. I never got the full story on that one, but it's pretty self explanatory". I heard the phone being snatched from Emmett and was met with Rosalie's angry voice.

"How the hell could he ever promise her that? Just because she is human and doesn't have our memory capability doesn't mean that she would ever forget us! When I get my hands on that bast-" she was cut off by Emmett taking the phone back. "Is she doing okay Jazz? Tell me the truth, how much pain is she in?"

I saw no reason to hide it from any of them, "Bella's a fighter. She will get over the pain, but I doubt it will ever completely go away for her. I'm staying to try and help her. I can try to lessen the pain whenever it surfaces and maybe that can help make her feel better eventually".

"Good luck Jasper and please let us know if there's anything we can do to help" Emmett was saying to me.

"Thank you Em. I'll keep in touch". I went hunting then. That helped release more of my anger and it felt good to use my predatory skills on an actual object instead of plotting my revenge on Edward. He would pay for the pain he left Bella in. I would make sure of it. I spent the night outside of Bella's window watching her sleep. Every time she started to have a nightmare, I would send peaceful energy towards her and she would relax. It felt good to be there helping her. When I heard Charlie moving around the house I headed home for a change of clothes.

Edward P.O.V.

I was somewhere deep in the jungles of Brazil when I heard her thoughts.

_Hmm, I thought for sure I would find him today. Let me concentrate harder. _Then I saw what she was seeing. Alice would find me here, but when? _Yes that's it, 7 seconds. I bet he can hear me already, he's just being impossible and not showing himself. That's fine Edward, I will find you on my own. _I smiled. As much as I had not wanted to be around anyone, it would be nice to see Alice. I missed her terribly. I missed all of my family, even Jasper, and I wanted to get updates on how they were.

_Found you_, her thoughts rang out, _I knew I would. _And then she was beaming at me from two feet away.

"Hello Alice. Whatever are you doing here?"

"Hello Edward. I'm looking for you of course. Why else do you think I would leave civilization and come pawing through the jungle for?"

"Yes, that does make sense. What have you seen?" I tried to read her thoughts, but she was being very careful with them.

"That you would need my help as long as you are on this course. I've seen a couple different scenarios but only bits and pieces nothing definite because decisions haven't been made yet". I nodded at her.

"Is everyone okay?"

_Yes. Carlisle and Esme send their love and said to tell you they miss you dearly and await your return. Emmett wanted you to know he's upset you left on your own and Rosalie said thank you for not telling Emmett what you were doing. _Alice had always liked answering me in her head as I always knew the answer the second she thought it.

"I miss them all too. What about Jasper? Is he okay? Are we still fighting?" I hoped not, I knew what Alice had seen was not Jasper's fault and would never come true. Jasper did not have that kind of control to be around Bella like that.

_As far as I can see Jasper is perfectly happy and content. He left the family for awhile, but he will be back shortly. I don't think he ever wanted to fight with you so no to that question. _Alice was hiding something.

"Where did Jasper go?" I asked angrily. It better not be Forks or I will go after him and kill him. Alice hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second and that's when I knew. Jasper had gone to Forks. I was seeing red. I felt something inside of me snap and I knew I wouldn't stop until Jasper was dead.

I could hear Alice shouting at me in her head and out loud but I wasn't listening anymore. I turned and started running.

Alice P.O.V.

It had been a month since I had left my family. Finding Edward had proved to be very difficult. Not only was I watching mine and his future to see when I would find him, I was watching for all of my family's futures to make sure they were safe. I was especially watching out for Jasper and Bella. I wanted to make sure they were moving along the way I kept seeing. When I finally did find him, he was cheerful and then I told him Jasper had left and everything changed.

Oh crap. I saw it when Edward snapped. I saw it in his face and I saw it in my vision. He was going to kill Jasper. I was yelling at him, but he turned and ran away. I let him go as another vision gripped me. What I had seen between Edward and me was never going to happen. It was the vision I needed to see at the time to get me to come down here, but Edward wasn't who I was destined for either. It was another vampire and I would meet him in about a minute. I couldn't take it all in, even with my sharp vampire mind. I was a mess and I sank to my knees in defeat. I heard when he came up next to me and knelt down in front me, but I couldn't focus my eyes on him.

"Miss are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked gently.

"Carlisle" was the only word I could utter. I reached into my pocket and pulled my phone out. My fingers were trembling as I pressed the speed dial for Carlisle. It rang three times and then I heard him say hello.

"Carlisle something has happened. Edward has... Edward has.." I couldn't finish my sentence. I tried to start over and still the words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

"Alice what is it? What's wrong? What happened to Edward?" Carlisle was panicking.

The stranger in front of me touched my cheek. I looked up into the most beautiful golden eyes I had ever seen and he smiled at me. It was the thing I needed to finally get the words out.

"Edward has snapped Carlisle. He's completely lost it about Jasper being in Forks and is going to go there and kill him. I won't make it there in time, you have to get there first. You're the only one who stands a chance at reasoning with him. He's not the same Edward you know though so please be careful". Carlisle was quiet for a full two minutes.

"Alice are you absolutely sure?" he finally asked.

"Yes, I've never seen him this angry before. It was like the Edward we know just disappeared. I'll be on my way to Forks within the hour. You need to warn Jasper too. I'll call you if I see anything more definite". We hung up, there was nothing more to say. I looked up into those beautiful golden eyes again and smiled back at him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"You can explain on the way beautiful, but I'm coming with you wherever you go" he said in the most amazingly lovely voice I had ever heard. I started running with him and explaining as we ran to the airport.

**A/N: Yup another cliffhanger **** I just couldn't help myself. So think you know who the new vampire is?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I rushed to get this one out for you guys! Thank you so much to all of you that have read or reviewed or added me to your alerts. I never thought even one person would read this, so your response has been staggering and truly appreciated. I am humbled by you all *raises glass* to toast you all.**

Jasper

It had been a month since I had left my family. Bella and I spent nearly every one of her waking minutes together. The day after I had rescued her was the first time she had called me to come help her with her pain. After that it became a regular thing for us to spend whatever time she wasn't at school with each other. I learned as much as I could about her and opened up to her more than I ever had to anyone else, even Alice. I now sat in her rocking chair when she slept and calmed her nightmares that were coming infrequently. I knew if I hadn't been there every night she would be okay now, but I liked to watch her sleep. It was way better than sitting at home by myself.

I was helping her with her homework one Saturday morning when my phone rang. It was Carlisle.

"Hey Carlisle, what's up?" I asked.

"Jasper something's happened with Edward. Alice told him you had left us and he assumed you were in Forks and Alice said he's snapped. He lost it and is no longer the Edward we once knew. He's coming to kill you". I felt horrified, not for myself but for Bella. His coming back to Forks would crush her.

"What do you mean snapped Carlisle?" I hissed. Bella looked up at me in alarm. I tried to reign in the horror and anger I felt.

"I don't know anymore than what I'm telling you. The rest of us are coming to Forks and will be there tonight around seven. Alice is on her way as well, but won't be back for one more day. She's not sure when he will be here and she will keep us updated if she gets anything more definite. You need to prepare Bella for this and she needs to prepare Charlie. Since we have no date or time to his return she will be under our constant protection and the town will have to know we are back" he finished.

"Yes of course. I'll take care of it right away and will be there at seven". I hung up with him and turned to face Bella's curiosity.

"I have to tell you something that will be hard for you to hear" I told her. She nodded and moved to sit right next to me. She put her hand over mine and smiled encouragingly.

I decided to not beat around the bush, "Alice saw Edward coming back to Forks to kill me for being here with you. She said he's snapped and is no longer Edward. Carlisle and the rest of the family are on their way here to be with us, since Alice can't pinpoint when he will arrive" I waited to gauge her reaction. The emotions I felt from her were nothing compared to what I was prepared for. She felt anger the most when I said he was coming to kill me, sadness when I said he snapped, and the most overwhelming joy I had ever felt when I said the rest of my family was coming home. There was no hint of the pain I was prepared for. The anger I first felt from her was suddenly back.

"How dare he try to come kill you!" she yelled. Where the hell does he think he gets the right to be angry at you for being here with me? If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have survived the pain". I could feel her happiness and appreciation for what I had done for her.

I smiled at her, "I'm glad I could help you Bella. I truly am thankful that you have allowed me to be a part of your life and I cherish our friendship".

"I feel the same way about you Jasper. When will the rest of them be here? Can I see them? Will they want to see me?" she was feeling insecure now.

I grabbed her face in between my hands and looked into her eyes, "They will be here at seven tonight and yes they will want to see you. Please don't feel insecure about them anymore. They all truly love you" she snorted and I knew who that snort was for. "Yes even Rosalie can't wait to see you. I know you don't think she likes you, but I've felt her feelings and she doesn't like you she loves you like a sister. Rosalie grew just as attached as the rest of them and I have no doubt that she will try to make up the past to you now". Bella looked at me doubtfully for a second and then I could feel her accept what I said as true as my honesty was rolling off of me onto her. I felt a quick stab of excitement and wonder.

"You said as the rest of them, does that mean you are not attached to me?" she looked as she waited for my response.

"Bella, darlin' I am more attached to you than any of the rest of them. I doubt I could ever walk away from you now if I tried" and I bent my head down to kiss her. The electricity that flowed through us was so intense, that had my heart still been beating, it would have stopped.

I pulled back and looked at Bella apologetically, "I'm sorry" I began.

"Don't you even dare think to apologize for kissing me Jasper Hale. I've been wondering when you would finally do it".

I stared at her the shock evident on my face, "You've been waiting for me to do that? For how long?"

"I'd say about three days. Did you really think with all this time we spent together that something wouldn't happen?" she asked raising her eyebrows at me?

I chuckled, "No, I've known since before I came here that we would be together". Oh crap. I could kick myself for saying that. I had never told her about Alice's visions of us.

"Alice saw this happening didn't she?" Bella asked. Yup, she was definitely way more observant than I thought.

"Yes" why not go for full disclosure at this point?

"Is that why she broke up with you? Is that why you came back?"

"No to both. Alice and I broke up because we've just been friends for a long time and she has always seen me end up with someone else. She never saw who until after I attacked you at your party. Alice also has seen herself with someone else. I came back to save you from Laurent. I stayed because you needed me to. I'm here now because I'm falling for you" I answered her questions and more. I felt myself growing more and more insecure as I waited for her response. Finally she looked up at me and smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever seen from her.

"I'm glad I wasn't the reason for your break-up. I would hate to be a home wrecker" she waited while I laughed at that. "I'm also glad that's not the reason you came back or are staying now. I wouldn't want to start a relationship with someone who only did it because his ex-wife who can see the future said it was going to happen. I thought it might be too soon, but now I think it feels just right. I'm falling for you too". I kissed her again. I had no problem being close to her anymore. I had given up the urge to ever suck the life out of her, the day that I saw what our leaving had really done to her. I never wanted to see her in any pain and I certainly never wanted to be the cause of that pain. I finally sighed and stopped kissing her. We still had a few more things to discuss.

"You need to tell Charlie that the family is coming back. You can tell him Esme didn't like LA and you don't have to tell him Edward is coming back. I doubt any of the townsfolk will see him so no one has to know he will be around".

"He's going to flip out. I only hope he lets me tell him that Edward won't be around before he starts yelling" she smiled weakly. "I'll tell him you're my pen pal for English and that's how I know". I could feel her fear as she thought about having to tell Charlie about our return and I had an idea. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Alice. She answered on the first ring.

"Hello Jasper. Yes, Charlie will be upset. Furious is more like it, but he will definitely calm down once Bella informs him that Edward is staying in LA for some program at the high school" she of course knew why I was calling.

I chuckled, "I should have known you would know why I was calling".

"Yes you should have. I'm quite disappointed that you didn't" she joked. "Let me talk to her Jazz".

I hesitated and then heard her yelling at me, "Jasper Whitlock Cullen Hale give the damn phone to Bella now" she was growling as she finished. I laughed as I handed her the phone.

"Hello" Bella said.

"BELLA!" Alice shouted. "I've missed you Bella! I can't wait to see you. Is Jasper treating you good? How's school? Tell me everything!"

Bella laughed, "Oh Alice! I've missed you so much as well. I can't wait to see you either. Yes Jasper is treating me perfectly fine and school is school".

"I'm so happy that you have Jasper there with you now. And Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett will be so thrilled to see you" Bella snorted in disbelief just like she had at me earlier.

"I doubt Rosalie will".

"As unbelievable as it may seem, Rose has missed you. She grew attached to you just like the rest of us, but she never wanted to admit it. I guess the cat's out of the bag now so to speak" Alice laughed.

Bella laughed too, "I'll believe it when I see it".

"Good luck with Charlie Bella and I want you to know I'm happy you two found each other".

"Thank you Alice I am too" Bella handed the phone back to me.

"See there's nothing to worry about" I reassured her as I kissed her forehead. "Bella I'm going to go home for a little while and get things set up for the family. I'll be back around quarter to seven to pick you up, so please talk to Charlie before then". She nodded and leaned up to kiss me.

Bella

Charlie was in a relatively good mood when he got home. I hated to ruin it for him, but Alice had promised everything would work out. I had just finished setting the table for dinner when he came smiling in.

"Dad" I began slowly when we were seated, "I have some news, but I need you to remain calm when I tell it to you. Do you promise?"

Charlie eyed me wearily, "I'm not promising anything. What is it Bells?"

I sighed. Here goes nothing I thought. "Remember that pen pal I told you about?" I continued when all Charlie did was nod once. "Well, it turns out he's one of Edward's brothers" I swallowed nervously as he dropped his fork. When he just sat there staring at me I continued.

"Did you ever meet Jasper?" Charlie just continued to glare. "Well, it turns out Esme did not like LA and her, Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper are moving back. ". While I was talking Charlie seemed to recover. He recovered even more when the part about Edward staying behind registered in his mind. He even picked up his fork and began eating again. I waited for him to say something.

"I guess big cities aren't for everyone. When are they coming back?"

"They will be back tonight and Jasper is picking me up in fifteen minutes to go see them at their house". His fork dropped again.

"Why is Jasper picking you up? Is he the one dating Alice?" Charlie was about two shades away from turning purple.

"He's my friend dad, that's why. He's really helped me a lot through our letters and I want to see him. Alice and he broke up about the same time as Edward and I. They realized they were better as friends". Charlie nodded and once again picked up his fork.

"I don't want you to stay too late. I'm sure they have lots of unpacking to do. It is out of the respect that I regard Carlisle and Esme in that I'm even allowing this. I believe they had only their family's best intentions at heart and wouldn't have seen what Edward breaking up with you would do when they left". Boy was he right on the money.

"Thank you so much dad. I appreciate it more than you know". I relaxed and we continued eating in silence. I was just about to start the dishes when there was a knock on the door. My dad told me to leave them and he would take care of them as he went to answer it. I was right behind him as he pulled it open.

"Hello Chief Swan" Jasper said as he extended his hand, "I'm Jasper Hale".

"Hello Jasper, please come in" Charlie responded smiling at Jasper. Jasper must have been sending Charlie calming emotions.

"Hello Bella. It's so nice to see you again after all this time of writing to you" Jasper turned to greet me.

I rolled my eyes at him behind Charlie's back and said, "Hi Jasper. It feels like I only saw you a little while ago".

Jasper laughed, "I must say I feel that way too". Then he turned back to Charlie, "Thank you for understanding about mine and Bella's friendship in light of everything that has happened. The rest of my family is appreciative as well".

Charlie nodded, "I hold nothing against any of you except Edward and I'm trying very hard to not even hold anything against him since I respect Carlisle and Esme so much".

"Thank you" Jasper responded, "Esme is so happy to see Bella, we shouldn't keep her waiting too long or she will be mad at me".

"Okay kids be careful" Charilie said and then pulled me in for a quick hug.

"Bye dad. I promise not too late". And with that we headed out to the car. Jasper held my door open for me and before I knew it we were driving away.

"Why are you nervous?" Jasper asked me suddenly.

"I don't know. I just feel nervous" I said.

"Bella they love you as one of their own, there is absolutely no need to be nervous about seeing them" he told me as he pushed calming waves of emotion over me and held my hand.

"Thank you" I whispered knowing he would hear me. We drove the rest of the way in silence. There was a moving truck in front of the house and all the lights were lit up when we pulled up. Jasper parked next to the moving truck and then turned to face me.

"We don't need to see them tonight if you're too nervous Bella. It can wait another day" he said looking into my eyes.

"I'm ready to see them I promise. I just don't know what to expect from all of them, especially Rosalie".

He nodded in understanding, "Alice would never steer you wrong and I can feel all their emotions as well. Please trust me when I tell you that Rosalie is just as nervous to see you too. But she is also looking forward to it".

I let out a deep breath, "Okay I trust you. Let's go".

We were walking up the porch steps when Jasper stopped and turned around to kiss me. He smiled as he pulled back and then pulled me through the door. They were all standing in the living room arranging different boxes and furniture and turned to greet us.

"Bella!" Emmett boomed as he pulled me into a huge bear hug and swung me around. "I've missed you little sis" His grin was huge and I couldn't help but grin back. "Emmett I've missed you too, but please stop spinning me around or I swear I'll be sick". Immediately I felt the ground beneath me and Emmett was backing off looking sheepish.

"I forgot how human you were" he admitted.

I laughed, "I forgot how much of a bear you were". He was smiling huge again at that.  
"Bella it's so good to see you" Carlisle said quietly as he came to stand next to Emmett.

"You too Carlisle" I said as he embraced me gently. I heard Emmett and Jasper greeting each other happily behind me. Esme claimed my attention next so I wasn't able to turn around and see what all the crashing was between them.

"Bella you look as lovely as ever and I have missed you" she said.

"I missed you too Esme. All of you". She pulled me in for a hug. It was tighter than Carlisle's but less enthusiastic than Emmett's had been. It felt like home.

"Emmett! Jasper!" she hissed over my shoulder and I turned to see them wrestling each other. "Please save the wrestling for when we don't have company and Emmett let Jasper say hello to the rest of us first next time". I turned back to face the last vampire in the room yet to greet me.

"Hello Rosalie" I said quietly.

She surprised me by smiling hugely and coming over to hug me while saying, "Family call me Rose, Bella. I know I've been unfair to you in the past and I am sorry about that and I promise that from now on I will treat you like nothing less than a sister. A much cherished sister".

"Thank you Rose. That means so much to me". I smiled back at her.

"Bella I want you to know how sorry we all are about what our leaving did to you. We all knew it would be bad for, but I guess we didn't realize how bad. I am also so very sorry that Edward lied to you about our reason for leaving. It is completely inexcusable the way he ended things" Carlisle said to me.

"Carlisle I don't hold it against any of you. Clearly it was Edward's choice what he told me and I'm just happy to have you guys back now and happy for Jasper being here with me" I told him. Esme was enveloping me in another hug.

"You are such an amazingly forgiving person Bella. It makes me so happy that you are allowing us back into your life without a second thought" she told me.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" I responded. It felt so good to be back in this house and with all of them. I had missed them terribly. Jasper came up beside me and grabbed my hand. I saw both Rosalie and Esme's eyes grow wide when they saw that, but neither one of them said anything. Emmett was a different story.

"Are you two together now?" he asked. Jasper went to answer him, but Emmett's excitement was pouring off of him and he kept asking questions. "Are you? When did it happen? How long ago? Why didn't you tell me?" He was practically bouncing up and down.

"Emmett Cullen you need to calm down before you break something and don't be so nosy. Jasper and Bella will tell us when they are ready" Esme scolded him. I was giggling, I just couldn't help myself. Pretty soon the rest of them were laughing at Emmett's excitement too. I decided to let Jasper answer all Emmett's questions. I was having a hard time trying to catch my breath.

**A/N: Sorry for another note, but I didn't want to overwhelm you all with the first one. I know this chapter is kind of short, but I promise more in the next one. Also, the next one will have some of this chapter as told from Jasper's POV. Do you guys like when I switch POV in a chapter or should I stay consistent for the whole chapter? As always, thank you so much my lovelies for all the responses!**


	5. Chapter 5

Jasper

Bella's nervousness had vanished the instant Emmett had scooped her up for a hug. All I felt from her was happiness and contentment. The contentment was especially potent when she hugged Esme. It felt as if she felt she was finally home. It made me smile and provoked Emmett to start with me. He was talking at vampire speed and trying to get me into a headlock, "Why are you smiling Jasper? Have you fallen in love with her yet? You have to fill me in on everything!" I looked up gratefully when Esme scolded us, knowing all the vampires had heard Emmett's questions. Esme was giving me an out so I could answer in my own time. I ducked out from under Emmett and moved to hug Carlisle and Esme as Rosalie approached Bella. For a split second Bella's nervousness was out of control, but it disappeared the instant Rose hugged her. Next Rose was hugging me, "I've missed you. We'll catch up later and don't worry I'll control him". I laughed. I had moved to stand beside Bella and grabbed her hand. I thought Rosalie and Esme's eyes were going to pop out of their heads and then I saw Emmett's eyes. His were positively huge and I could feel and see the excitement pouring off of him.

"Are you two together now?" he asked. I went to answer him, but he couldn't contain himself and he kept asking questions. "Are you? When did it happen? How long ago? Why didn't you tell me?" He was practically bouncing up and down.

"Emmett Cullen you need to calm down before you break something and don't be so nosy. Jasper and Bella will tell us when they are ready" Esme scolded him. Bella started giggling and her amusement was so strong that I caught it and passed it on to the rest of them. Finally when Bella was catching her breath I was able to answer him.

"I didn't tell you because it pretty much just happened today Emmett. I don't know exactly what we are and I'm not going rush to define it. Whatever happens will happen". Emmett was nodding at me as I finished and then he rushed forward and grabbed me into a huge bear hug.

"You better not hurt her or I'll kill you" he said at vampire speed so Bella wouldn't hear. Carlisle chuckled and then moved to sit on one of the chairs in the room. Esme flitted to sit next to him and I grabbed Bella's hand and moved her to the couch across from them. Rosalie and Emmett sat on the floor in front of us.

"Alice called right before you guys got here. She can't see exactly what is going to happen since Edward is changing his mind so frequently. We think it's to keep her out of his plans, but he has made one decision for sure. He'll be here by the end of next week" Carlisle told us.

I could feel everyone's anger, except for Carlisle and Esme. Their emotions were going back forth between disappointment and sadness. I knew that whatever happened with Edward, it would take a toll on them both. Edward was their first adopted child and Carlisle's first companion. It was tearing them up inside to have this situation taking place. I felt so guilty about it. It was my fault that Edward had left and my fault that he had snapped.

"Please lay off the guilt trip Jazz. You're going to make me confess all the wrong doings I have ever done. It's not your fault that this happened" Rosalie had turned around to look into my eyes. I smiled at her as I tried to reign the guilt in, but I just couldn't help it.

"Jasper, my son, you have no reason to feel guilty. None of us could have ever predicted this is what was going to happen. Your futures have always been set according to Alice and I'm just happy that you both are starting to fulfill them. We will deal with whatever happens with Edward when it happens" Carlisle said.

Esme was nodding in agreement, "We will deal with it as a family" she said smiling at us. "Alice also gave us some news that she is going to bring someone home with her" Esme continued looking cautiously at me. I felt all their moods switch to joy mixed with apprehension.

"She found her mate?" I asked. I was happy for her and wanted nothing but the best for her. I pushed those feelings out to them to ease their minds about it.

Rosalie was the one who answered, "Yes, his name is Garrett and he has recently adapted our lifestyle. Apparently he has a friend that can feel things and told him he would meet his mate in South America. He's been waiting for her for two months and they seem to have mated right away".

I smiled at that, "That's great I am so happy for them both. I guess I should have realized we were never meant to be, since we never mated".

I could feel Bella's confusion as she asked, "What does mated mean? It's not the same as being married?"

"With our kind we aren't always sure we will find a mate so marriage is more of a convenience to negate the loneliness and depression that can plague us from being alone for so many years. Mated is something that doesn't always happen for each of us. To mate means to be completely committed to each other, you would die for your love and in some cases you can even turn against others you love in order to protect them" Carlisle told her.

"What do you mean turn against others you love?" Bella asked as she took everything in.

Esme looked lovingly at Carlisle and said, "I'll give you an example. Rosalie mated with Emmett as soon as she saw him and as you know she carried him home for Carlisle to change him" Bella nodded and Esme continued, "Well even though she knew that Carlisle would have to bite Emmett to change him and that Carlisle wouldn't hurt or kill him, Rose almost attacked Carlisle when he actually went to bite him". Carlisle was grinning at Rose now.

Bella gasped and looked at Rose wide eyed and Rose just smiled at her, "It took Edward and Esme both to restrain me. I was growling at him in my hunting position and wouldn't let him get near Emmett at first. Luckily Esme got through to me before it was too late". Needless to say Bella was shocked.

"There is so much about your world that I did not know" she said quietly. I could feel sadness and hurt radiating off of her. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and tried to send comforting feelings.

"Edward would only let us talk about what he wanted you to know Bella. He said it was to protect you, but looking back now I don't think it was" I told her.

"No it wasn't" Emmett agreed with me. He looked up at Bella, "You should have known every thing there is to know about us before he even brought you home to meet us. We are predators Bella and I've always thought you should be fully informed. You wouldn't go swimming in an ocean without knowing if there were sharks there first would you?" Leave it to Emmett to compare us to sharks. I definitely did see his point though.

"Is there anything else I need to know before I decide to come swimming in the shark tank again?" Bella asked laughing as she did.

"There's much more to our kind and we are happy to answer any question you might have. You know all you have to do is ask, don't be afraid of offending us. As for right now, I think that's enough with the vampire stories" Carlisle smiled at her and Bella smiled back. I was so happy that she was at ease here. I had been worried that being back around all of them and in this house would bring back the memories and pain of Edward, but it didn't. Bella felt more at home here now than she ever had before. Esme was glowing as she felt the emotions that I was relaying into the room. I decided in order to stay on Charlie's good side that it was time to take Bella home. I did not want to be banned from seeing her or being able to bring her here to visit the rest of them. I said as much and Bella looked disappointed.

"Bella you can come back anytime you know that" I told her.

"Of course you can. I am so looking forward to getting to know you and I'm glad we will finally have the opportunity. You should come back tomorrow" Rosalie said standing up. Bella's happiness went through the roof and I found myself almost bouncing up and down as a result of it.

"I'd love to!" Bella exclaimed and stood up to hug Rose. She then hugged each of them goodbye and we made our way to the door. I let Bella walk out in front of me and wasn't paying attention to her when she fell. I was getting ready to smack Emmett for all the kissy noises he was making at vampire speed so Bella wouldn't hear. I knew I should have been watching her, but I didn't want to hover as I always thought Edward had done. As she fell, I was silently cursing myself. I rushed to her side to scoop her up into my arms. I smelled the blood then and stopped breathing. This was the first time she had hurt herself around me since her birthday and I could see the fear in her eyes as she realized that too. I heard Emmett and Rosalie move behind me, ready to restrain me. Esme had stayed by the door and Carlisle had moved right in front of me.

"Give her to me Jasper. I'll find out where the blood is coming from and stop it. Then I'll drive her home" Carlisle said as he tried to grab Bella from me.

"I'm fine Dad I swear. If I had been tempted at all I would have let Emmett hold me back already".

Carlisle studied my face for a second and then nodded, "Okay, carry her into the kitchen please. Esme can you please grab my bag?"

I felt Rosalie and Emmett following right behind me as I carried Bella to the kitchen and sat her down on the counter. I stepped back and let Carlisle look at her. I was breathing again and the scent of Bella's blood wasn't bothering me. I wasn't all that surprised as I had no desire to try to hurt her intentionally or not ever again.

"Looks like it's just a scrape, a deep one, but no stitches are needed" Carlisle announced as he pulled Bella's jeans up to expose her cut knee.

Bella looked embarrassed as she said, "I'm sorry I should have been more careful". She looked around the room and seemed to notice that we were all there still. I could see the question in her eyes and I knew what she was thinking. How could we all stand to be around her when she was bleeding? Last time she had been hurt in our presence she had cleared the room of all vampires except Carlisle.

"Bella honey, I know what you must be thinking and while we have never had any desire to hurt you, after all that has happened we are in much better control around you. We never want to see anything bad happen to you and that's why we can stand here this time" Esme explained while patting Bella's hand gently. Bella just nodded and then winced as Carlisle sprayed her with some sort of antiseptic.

"Sorry Bella, but we're all done now" Carlisle smiled at her as he gently put the band-aid on her.

"Thank you yet again for taking care of me and another injury" she smiled at him.

Carlisle laughed, "It's always a pleasure". He helped Bella off the counter and I scooped her up into my arms.

"We're not taking any chances. Charlie will never let you come back if I bring you home all bandaged up" I explained to her. I heard Emmett snort behind me.

"Oh please gag me now. Jeez Jasper if you want to carry her you don't have to make up lies about the reasoning. Ow Rose!" he huffed as Rosalie had elbowed him hard. I shot her a grateful smile for shutting him up and left with Bella. I drove her home and promised to back later that night. I went back home to help my family finish unpacking and getting settled back in. I found out that Carlisle already had his old job at the hospital back and Esme was planning on some redecorating since Alice and I would no longer be sharing a room. She offered me her study and when I said, "Thank you mom" she almost tackled me with a hug. I had always felt uneasy calling her mom, but it just felt right to me now. Something had changed in the family dynamic and I honestly felt like I was fully embraced by them and I had even reached out to embrace them back. It felt like home.

Emmett had begged me to go hunting with him the next day and when I tried to resist he gave me his pouty face. I hated to leave Bella alone or be away from her for any length of time now. I knew the family would be there to protect her, but I just wanted to make sure she was safe on my own. Rosalie was the one who convinced me that Bella would be okay. "Jasper I'll hang out in the woods all day at the school if that will make you feel better and bring her back here when she gets out, but please go with him! He's been driving me nuts about missing your hunting competitions and you know how relentless he can be". I finally gave in and agreed. Esme and Rose would keep Bella safe and I knew they would all like some quality bonding time. Bella pouted a little that night when I told her but I could tell she was happy that Rose and Esme wanted to spend time with her. I left with Emmett and Carlisle as soon as I made sure Bella was safely at school and under Rosalie's watchful eye.

Rosalie

I knew it would make Emmett happy to go hunting with Jasper again and I was all about keeping Emmett happy. He stayed out of trouble when he was happy and had stuff to do. Plus, I really wanted some quality time with Bella and my mom. I couldn't ask her what I wanted to with everyone else around. I was in her truck waiting when she climbed in.

"Rose!" she exclaimed, "I'm so happy to see you".

I laughed at her enthusiasm, "I'm happy to see you too. Esme will be as well so we better get going".

She agreed and pulled out of the parking lot heading towards our house. Alice had told me more than I had told Jasper and Carlisle. The only other person who knew was Esme and this was a perfect opportunity for us to talk to Bella about everything. Carlisle had decided to go hunting with his sons and they wouldn't be home until right before Alice and Garrett had arrived.

We made small talk on the way to the house and I ushered her in and to the couch as soon as we got there. Esme came into the room with cookies as a snack for Bella and they hugged. I decided to not beat around the bush and jump right in.

"Bella do you love my brother? Jasper I mean of course" I added feeling stupid for adding it.

"Yes Rose I do".

"It's not just because of Alice's vision right?" I asked. Esme shot me a horrified look for bringing that up. Of course Rose! I mentally kicked myself, what if Jasper hadn't mentioned that?

Bella laughed, "No it's not. Jasper didn't tell me about the vision until after we had started admitting our feelings for each other".

"Good because I could see it yesterday and I wanted to make sure you two don't waste any time. I'm glad to see you both so happy and glad it's with each other. Now please stop me if I'm being too nosy or if I make you uncomfortable but do you want to join our family still? Esme asked in a rush.

"I don't think you're being nosy and I'm not uncomfortable with that question, yes I would love to join your family and be with Jasper and all of you forever" she answered honestly and looked apprehensive now. "But you don't want me to join your family?" she asked me. Crap! I should have made it clear before this conversation started that I did in fact want her in my family now.

"Oh Bella I know I felt like that before, but now I would love it if you were part of our family"

"What has changed Rose?" she asked softly.

"I know Edward has told you my story and while I still don't wish this life on anyone, I don't see how you can avoid it anymore. You have fallen in love with two vampires now and you are best friends with one. In my opinion you're better off joining us and I would like to see it be your choice instead of it being no other choice".

"Thank you Rosalie. I'm glad you have finally accepted me and even more glad that we can talk like this. I hope you and I can become best friends as well".

"Me too Bella" I smiled at her and stopped talking as Esme had reached out to hug us both.

"Have you and Jasper had this talk yet?" Esme asked her.

She just shook her head no. "I think you should. He needs to know how you feel".

Bella looked at us suspiciously, uh-oh I thought as I shared a weary look with Esme, "Is there something I should know about? Has Alice seen something?"

"We can't lie to you Bella, Alice has seen you become one of us. We don't know when but we both believe you and Jasper should have this discussion before anything does happen" Esme told her honestly. I was so glad that my mom was having this talk with us. I might have been tempted to lie and Bella didn't deserve any more lies or anything being kept from her. I wish I could get my hands on Edward and get some revenge for this poor girl.

We let Bella take her time with her thoughts and I wasn't surprised at all when she said, "I'll talk to Jasper about it I promise. If something does happen to me before I get the chance, will you two please make sure my wishes are known to him? I want more than anything to be a part of your family and would hate for that not to happen because no one knew".

"We both will make sure he knows if you don't get the chance to tell him" I promised, "And we all want you to become a true member of this family and can't wait either" Esme added. This conversation had gone extremely easy and I hoped Emmett was having the same outcome with Jasper. I had told Emmett only that I was curious how Jasper felt about Bella becoming a vampire and he had agreed to discreetly ask Jasper when they were on this trip. I hoped he kept true to his word as subtlety was not his strong suit.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out together and talking. The boys returned around five and Alice was due to arrive any minute. I was happy that we would all be together again. I really had missed that. Every vampire heard the instant Alice's new car turned off the freeway and into the drive.

"Alice is coming" I said to Bella and the smile that spread across her face was huge. I truly hoped that someday Bella and I would have that kind of friendship. I wanted that with both my sisters. The front door swung open and Alice bounded into the room and a tall vampire with long hair followed right behind her. Her eyes zeroed in on Bella and she was squealing with delight as she hurled herself toward her.

**A/N: Alice is back! I hope that makes you all as happy as it makes me **** this one is only about 3500 words, but I promise the next chapter will be longer. It's almost done too! It's all going to be from Alice's p.o.v. and I hope you don't mind that I'm taking some liberties with Garrett's character since we never really learned tons about him in the books. Thanks for reading & reviewing as always. You all rock!**


	6. Chapter 6

Alice

Everything was going according to my visions. Rosalie's conversation with Bella and Emmett's with Jasper had gone off without a hitch. Of course Esme and Carlisle had both played out their parts beautifully. Neither one of them had let it slip that Bella's change was coming sooner rather than later. I was glad that Rose and Esme had kept that to themselves. The less people who knew the better for right now. I still didn't have a clue as to when this would all happen. Edward hadn't made up his mind yet, but I was intensely watching out for it.

I was so excited to go home to my family and to bring Garrett with me. We had mated instantly and I could never see my life without him. We pulled into the meadow in front of the house and I jumped out of the car. I heard Garrett laugh at me and I turned to smile at him and grab his hand. We walked into the house and I was instantly looking for Bella. I squealed with pure delight when I saw her and went running to grab her up in a hug, remembering to be careful as she was only human after all.

"BELLA!" I shouted.

"ALICE!" she shouted right back at me laughing. I stepped back and grinned at her. I hugged her again and turned my attention to Rosalie. I had missed Rosalie so much too and I knew that while she loved us both, Rose was kind of jealous of the friendship that Bella and I had. I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize our relationship so I gave her the huge grin that I had given Bella.

"ROSE!" I shouted at her.

She laughed and shouted back at me, "ALICE!". We both laughed and ran crashing into each other with our arms open for a hug. "I missed you sis" we both said at the same time, causing more laughter between us. I stepped back and braced myself for the huge bear hug that I had just foreseen coming from Emmett. I smiled huge at him and ran straight into his arms. He picked me up and swung me around in a bone crushing hug. "What? No shouting your favorite brother's name like you did with your sisters?" he jokingly sulked.

"EMMETT!" I decided to shout. Everyone was laughing and Emmett set me down. He was jokingly rubbing his ear like I had hurt it by yelling at him. I loved my big bear of a brother.

"Thanks Alice" he was grinning. I moved on to hug my mom and dad and saved Jasper for last.

"Jasper" I said as I moved towards him at human pace. I knew Jasper and I were going to be the best of friends, but I had to admit I was a bit nervous at seeing him again. What if my visions were wrong?

"Alice" he said and opened his arms. I flew into them and we hugged. I would never doubt my gift again.

I stepped back and turned to face Bella again when I heard a throat clearing behind me. I smiled sheepishly and turned to face Garrett. He was grinning at me and I flitted back to his side. If I could have blushed, I would have been scarlet at that moment.

"I'm sorry Garrett, I got carried away".

"Alice you never have to apologize for your exuberance. It's one of the things I love most about you" he said as he kissed my cheek.

"Let me introduce you to my family" I decided to start with Carlisle and Esme. "These are my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen". They both stepped forward and Carlisle shook his hand. Esme hugged him and said "Welcome to the family. We are so happy to have you".

"Next we have my brother Emmett Cullen and his wife Rosalie Hale".

"Damn glad to meet you bro" Emmett exclaimed as he gripped Garrett in a bear hug. He whispered at vampire speed, "If you hurt her, I'll kill you".

Rosalie scolded him, "Jeez Em you're going to scare the poor guy away hugging him like that". She moved to shake his hand.

"And lastly we have my brother Jasper Hale and sister Bella Swan". Bella timidly shook Garrett's hand and stepped back to Jasper's side. I was delighted at how close she was staying to him. I knew they hadn't mated yet, but I was so waiting for that. I couldn't tell when it would be, but it would be a spectacular love. Better than even Esme and Carlisle's.

Jasper moved forward to shake his hand and corrected Emmett's previous statement at vampire speed, "You hurt her, **we **will kill you".

"It's very nice to meet you all. Alice has told me so much about each of you. I've heard that you are all very protective of each other and I promise to never do anything to hurt her". He was smiling at them.

"We know you won't, the boys are just overly protective" Esme said sending Emmett and Jasper a warning glare. Bella looked confused.

"How were they being overprotective? I didn't hear them say anything bad" she told Esme.

Rose giggled, "Bella, we may have forgotten another important thing about our kind. You know we have excellent hearing, but what you don't know is that we can speak super fast to each other. So fast that your human ears miss it. Jasper and Emmett have both warned Garrett that if he hurts Alice in any way they will kill him".

Bella's eyes almost popped out of her sockets, "Do you guys do that often? How much do I miss? And why are you threatening Alice's mate? That's rude". She was scowling at them both now. I had missed her and her endless curiosity.

"We don't do it that often and it's our job as big brothers to warn the guys our sisters are with" Emmet shot back at her. "Just wait til you two get more serious, Jasper and I will be having the same talk".

Everyone was laughing at that and Bella was clutching Jasper's arm to keep herself upright. "Well we will" Emmett sulked. We all knew Emmett and knew that he just didn't have it in him to be serious and get his point across sometimes. He just joked too much and usually ended up aggravating the person he was trying to talk to.

I looked ahead to the future, yes they would have this talk. I laughed harder as I saw the outcome. Emmett would try to have this talk seriously, Jasper would get fed up, and they would end up breaking Esme's coffee table in the midst of a wrestling match. Rosalie and I would have the same talk with Jasper and get our point across successfully. I thought about telling Emmett that, but knew he would have this talk anyways so instead I looked at Emse, "You better order a new coffee table so it can get here before that talk ends up breaking it" I told her.

"Thank you for the warning" she smiled at me.

"Let's sit down and talk" Carlisle said moving to a chair with Esme. "You know all about us and I'm afraid we hardly know a thing about you" he was saying to Garrett. Jasper and Bella sat on one end of the couch and I grabbed Garrett's hand and moved to sit on the other. Emmett and Rosalie moved to the loveseat.

"Where would you like me to begin? I have no secrets so please ask me anything" Garrett said to everyone. I was beaming inside at how well they all had taken to each other. I knew they would, but it was nice to actually see it as it happened, instead of yesterday when I had seen it at the airport.

Emmett was of course the first one to speak up, "How old are you?"

"I don't have an exact age but I was changed around the time of the Revolutionary War and I was 20 at the time".

"Wow Alice you really have a thing for the old ones!" Emmett exclaimed. I could of killed him. Rose elbowed him and everyone else laughed. Sometimes Emmett's inability to think things out before saying them really got on my nerves. I hardly ever saw what he was going to say coming!

"You really do get right to the point huh?" Garrett asked him, "I like that and think we will get along wonderfully because of it". Emmett was grinning and told Rose to please stop elbowing him.

I could sense Jasper looking at us and I looked at him questioningly. "I'm sorry you two I didn't mean to pry but I was sensing both of your emotions for each other" he said. He was smiling at us.

"And?" Garrett asked. I had warned him of Jasper and his gift. I had also told him everything about mine and Jasper's relationship and he was completely fine with it. I was glad. I would have hated for him to be jealous of my past, but he assured me he wasn't. He had told me all about his past as well and I wasn't jealous either. The past was the past after all.

"You two seem to really love each other and you make Alice very happy. Happier than I ever made her and that makes me very happy. I only wish the best for her and I can see she's found it in you".

"Yes he does and thank you Jazz".

"How did you two meet?" Bella asked. I hesitated and saw Jasper minutely shake his head yes. I had told Rosalie this and she had told everyone but Bella apparently. Esme spoke at vampire speed to confirm Jasper's yes, "Bella is doing exceptionally well with anything related to Edward. Jasper has told us that she doesn't feel any pain regarding him and I'm sure you've already seen the progress their relationship is making. It's okay to tell her. We shouldn't keep secrets from her". I knew Esme wanted me to tell Bella her change was coming, but I couldn't see how that would effect the outcome yet and so I was very reluctant to do so.

"I had a vision of Garrett about a minute before we met. Edward had just snapped and was running away from me when I saw him in my head. I was trying to process it all and then I saw him in person and my life changed. We've been inseparable ever since".

"I'm very happy that you two found each other" Bella said and we smiled to one another.

"I'm interested in hearing about what made you switch your diet Garrett? Most vampires don't readily give up humans like we have chosen to. What made you decide?" Carlisle asked leaning forward. This type of information had always peaked his interest.

"I have a friend who senses things in a different kind of way than Alice. He doesn't see them, but rather feels what is going to happen. He felt me changing to drinking animal blood and then meeting Alice. He claimed the animal blood was the first step to finding my true happiness in this life and I took his word for it. Now I am forever indebted to him for being right" he smiled at me. A thought suddenly struck Garret and he looked at Bella. "May I ask you a question?". Bella nodded and I saw what question it was. Holy crap! All that work that Rosalie and Emmett had secretly done and Garrett was going to get the answer right after meeting her. Why couldn't he have decided to ask this earlier? I could have saved Rose and Emmett all that time."When do you intend to become one of us?"

I felt I had to explain, "Garrett knows everything about you that I know Bella. When we mate, we tend to tell each other everything without always meaning to. He knows that you have wanted to join our family before and is just curious if you still do". I felt like I was making things worse than better. Esme and Rose were staring at me, but I wasn't paying any attention to anyone but Bella and Jasper and their future. I smiled and slightly shook my head yes to Esme and Rose as I saw what would happen. They both looked relieved. The three of us had been waiting for this conversation. Jasper had to know Bella's choice and soon.

Bella looked nervously at Jasper and he was smiling at her. "You still want to become one of us?" he asked softly. The hope and happiness he was sending out was so strong that it made all of us smile. This was only a part of the love I had felt in those visions I had seen of the two of them. I was elated that they had seemed to fall so quickly and so deeply in love with each other.

"Yes Jasper I do. Only if all of you will have me though. I've thought about it and I don't want there to be any resentment from anyone about it. It will have to a unanimous vote".

Jasper nodded, "Why?" He looked like he was trying to read her emotions and he smiled slightly as they must have registered in his mind.

I saw Bella's determination flare up, "I've already loved and lost once and it hurt me terribly. Then you came along and made me whole again, I don't ever intend to live without you. I want to stay with you forever".

Jasper was beaming at her, "I would like that very much darlin'. I just needed to hear it. I can feel your feelings of course and have been waiting for you to tell me in your own time. I vote yes. And you do realize that the first time you fully admit you love me is in a room full of vampires?"

Bella blushed and ducked her head, "I don't care who knows. I'm in love with you".

"And I am so in love with you" Jasper told her as he hugged her. I was ecstatic and so was everyone else.

Esme had hurled herself across the room to hug them both, "My vote has always been yes and always will be yes. I can't wait for you to join our family, but you already knew that". She was practically squeezing the life out of Bella.

"I also vote yes. I already think of you as a daughter and would be honored if you were to become an official member" Carlisle said and crossed the room to hug Bella and gently pull Esme off of her. Esme's mom gene was in full swing and I knew if she could cry she would have.

"I don't just vote yes, I vote hell yes!" Emmett boomed as he grabbed Bella in for a hug. Rosalie sat quietly on the loveseat but she was smiling. I decided to take my turn. I stood up and hugged Bella as I voted yes. I turned to look at Garrett, Rose's vote was the most important to Bella and I knew she wouldn't hear Garrett after Rose had voted. I knew that even though Rose, Bella, and Esme had this conversation earlier, this made it official to Bella and she still was unsure of Rosalie's feelings towards her. I just knew her so well that I didn't need Jasper's gift to see that. Carlisle saw where I was looking and spoke up.

"Garrett now that you're family you get a vote as well". He studied Bella for a minute and then grinned.

"I vote yes. Thank you for not being mad at me for outing you". Bella laughed and then everyone turned to look at Rose. She had stopped smiling and was trying to put on her meanest face but I could tell she was having a hard time with it.

She got up gracefully and crossed to Bella grabbing Bella's hands in hers as she looked into her eyes, "Bella my vote has always been no" she paused as Bella's face slightly fell. "Please let me finish. Until I started to really get to know you and until I saw the wonderful effect your humanity has had on my family, my vote was no. I've seen the way you love each of us and I've seen how much happier Jasper is with you. My vote has changed to yes and I wouldn't have it any other way. I want you as my baby sister". Bella started crying and they hugged for a long time. We spent the rest of the evening talking and catching up. Plans for Bella's change were made. Well Carlisle, Bella, Jasper, and Emmett planned. Rosalie, Esme, Garrett, and I just sat around listening. I was planning on how we were going to fake her death. She wouldn't leave Forks human. Jasper was getting ready to take Bella home around 9 when I had the vision I had been waiting for. I waited until they had left before I told the rest of them.

"Edward is coming on Friday for sure. He will try to kill Jasper and in the process he will almost kill Bella. The only way for us to be successful at changing her is for all of you to follow my instructions exactly" they all nodded in understanding and I filled them in on what they would have to do. I knew I had to tell Bella about this and I decided to pick her up from school the next day. It would give Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie a chance to get to know Garrett and I knew they all would like that. We would talk about everything and I would give her as much information as I could without altering her future. I couldn't wait for Bella to join the family! It was going to be great to finally have her as a sister.

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long & that it's so short! The next chapter is longer & almost ready to go! I just have a few more things to fix on it. Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! I am truly humbled by you all. As always please read and review! *hint hint* They make me write faster **


	7. Chapter 7

Bella

I felt like the vampires in my life were conspiring to get me to tell Jasper how I felt before it was too late. Alice must have seen something and was keeping it from me. I would find a way to get her alone and get it out of her. I needed to know! I was so happy that Rose and Esme had wanted to spend time with me, but I was suspicious as soon as they started questioning me. I know they had the best intentions for me and that's why I couldn't be mad at them. They were right, I had to let Jasper know how I felt. I had just realized the depth of my feelings for Jasper that day in school.

Mike Newton had made a snide comment about how I couldn't seem to stay away from the Cullen family and I started thinking about that. I knew I would never want to live with out Jasper or any of the Cullen's and that's when it hit me, but especially Jasper. I loved him. He had pieced me back together after Edward left me broken. We had found each other in this crazy world and completed each other. He needed to know. I was so happy to see Alice return, but also a little nervous. I was in love with her ex-husband! Even though Jasper had told me that Alice had foreseen us together and was okay with it, I still felt guilty. Once she had grinned at me and rushed forward to hug me, I knew I had nothing to worry about. Alice was completely fine with me and Jasper. Garrett had outed my wishes to join the family and I loved him for that. It was so much easier for me to admit it, once he had brought it up. It also got both Jasper and I to admit our feelings of love even more and I owed Garrett hugely! I hated to talk about my emotions and Garrett made it so easy for me. I hoped we would become good friends.

I missed having a good friend outside of Alice and Jasper and even the rest of the Cullen's. Jacob had refused to speak to me anymore, once I had told him that Jasper was staying in Forks for me. He told me I needed to choose which side to be on and when I refused he stopped being my friend. It upset me so much at the time, but with Jasper being around to help me, the pain from that wound had healed as well. I wished nothing but the best for Jacob and hoped he would find his happiness someday. I had hoped that we could be friends down the road, but if I was joining the Cullen family, there was no way that would ever happen.

Alice surprised me by waiting for me in my truck after school the next day. I expected Jasper and for the second day in a row I was greeted by another vampire. Jasper had been meeting me there everyday since he returned and saved my life. It was weird to not see him again and I was a little bummed.

"Hi Bella" Alice said and started bouncing up and down in her seat. "I know you're upset I'm not Jasper, but I also know you wanted to talk to me privately and this was the best I could come up with. I told Jasper I missed the school and needed to see it" she laughed. "He bought it of course as I was feeling how much I would miss Garrett while I was gone".

I laughed at her, "Oh Alice! I am excited to see you and I'm sorry if I didn't act like it. I'm glad we have a few minutes to talk alone". I hadn't started the truck up yet and was reluctant to do so.

"We can sit here to talk if you like, but if you're not home in your normal driving time, Jasper will come looking for us. Garrett too. So you start driving and I'll talk. I can see everything you want to know and I do talk super fast" she said in a rush. It's a good thing my brain was functioning today or I would have missed half of it. I laughed for a full minute at her before I started the truck and headed for home. Home?

"I'm not going to your house?" I asked a little disappointed. I wanted to see everyone.

"No we are all going to come hang out with you at Charlie's" she said excitedly. "Except for Esme and Carlisle of course. I've missed your father and it will be good for him to see how much the rest of us love you". I nodded at her, yes that made sense. It would give Charlie some peace of mind if he could see how much I loved them as well.

"Bella, I know you are a little apprehensive about my feelings towards your and Jasper's relationship and I want you to know that I wish nothing but the best for you both. I am so happy that you found love with each other. You complete him, and he completes you. I know you can feel that. Jasper is the happiest and most open I have ever seen him and that is because of you. And you have healed so well with his care and love that it feels as if there was never a hole there to begin with doesn't it?"

"Yes" I answered.

She beamed at me, "That's what I have always felt from my visions of you two. You will be amazing together. More in love than anyone I have ever seen. Your relationship will just grow and grow and your change will enhance it even more. I can't wait for you to feel the full love and all that Jasper has to give. Which brings us to your next question" she waited for me to ask. We both knew she already saw what the question was, but I loved that she let me ask it anyways. I needed to ask this one before she just answered it.

"When Alice?" I whispered.

"If everything goes as I see it happening, Friday" she waited for me to process that. Friday? I would only have a few more days with Charlie and school? How could I possibly prepare him for this?

I realized what Friday meant and gasped, "Edward is going to change me?"

She shook her head slowly, "Not change you Bella, but hurt you. He's going to hurt you badly and Jasper will be the one who does it". We were almost to my house and I started to drive even slower. I finally pulled over on the shoulder of the road and parked. I turned my whole body to look at her.

"How is he going to hurt me? I need to know. Why aren't you telling Jasper? Do the rest of them know?" I threw all my questions to her at once. Of course she had already seen that and was starting to answer them before I finished asking.

"I can't give you the specifics as it may change the outcome Bella. Please understand that. I am trying my hardest to be open and honest with you, but I can't give you details. Just know it will happen and you will change this weekend. Yes I've told the rest of them and the only reason I have forbidden any of them from telling Jasper is because he will never let you anywhere near the clearing if he knows that is what will happen. It needs to happen this way Bella. It's the only way I see your change happening. You can't worry about Charlie and Renee either. They will be upset to find out you died, but will both move on and heal in time. They will never forget you and will always love you".

It would devastate them to lose me. There had to be another way! I started planning and Alice curbed that as soon as I started making decisions.

"You can't tell Charlie anything Bella and you know that. I know Edward has told you a little of the Volturi and if they ever found out that Charlie knows about us, they will kill him. Stop planning on finding a way to be with him. It's not possible" she finished in a whisper. Alice really did love Charlie as much as she loved me and I knew it hurt her to lose him too. I nodded at her and put the truck in drive. She put her hand on mine to stop me and I looked up at her again but her eyes were closed.

"Emmett will help you with Charlie" she opened her eyes and smiled at me when I looked confused as hell at her, "Trust me Bella. You will know what to do when you see it yourself. Now let's go before we get hunted down by our two loving boyfriends". I laughed and reigned my emotions in as I pulled back out on the road. If Jasper felt even a hint of my turmoil over Charlie, he would worry that I was making the wrong choice. I knew that the wrong choice would be to ever leave Jasper's side and I would never do that. I wouldn't survive with out him. I didn't want him to ever doubt that and so I made sure I was nice and calm.

"Thank you for everything you have ever done for me Alice" I said to her.

She grinned hugely and I felt a little panicky, "Don't thank me just yet. Wait until you see the wardrobe I have picked out for you after the change and then thank me". I gasped at her and her grin turned a little wicked. I felt paler than normal and had to slow my breath down. Alice was laughing loudly and continued to do so until we pulled in my driveway. Emmett and Rosalie's cars were both out front. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Garrett were all standing in the driveway waiting for us.

I got out and headed straight for Jasper's open arms, "I missed you darlin" he said into my ear as he bent down to kiss me. Kissing Jasper was the most exciting experience I have ever felt. He didn't do just a closed mouth kiss like Edward had. It was a full blown tongue in the mouth kiss that I absolutely loved. I knew he was careful not to hurt me and had to think carefully about each kiss, but whenever I kissed him, I finally felt like I was being kissed. He always made sure to thoroughly kiss me before releasing me and my pulse was usually racing out of control by the end of it. It made me feel desired and loved.

"Jasper that's enough. She may be the love of your life, but she's still my baby sister" Emmett said menacingly from somewhere next to us. I opened my eyes as Jasper finally pulled away from me. Emmett had been at least 10 feet away from us as we began the kiss, but now he was no less than an inch away. His face was drawn into a scowl which he directed towards Jasper.

"Leave us alone" Jasper mumbled as he moved to kiss me again. Emmett was in between us then, blocking my view of Jasper. Jasper was starting to growl at Emmett, who was growling right back.

"Jasper you know how much you love your sisters right?" Rosalie tentatively began, "That's how Emmett is feeling about Bella and will continue to do so until you are equals. It's his brotherly instincts and I know you can't deny him this". Jasper nodded and stepped back as Rose's words sunk in.

"Sorry Emmett" he began, but Emmett had cut him off.

"No apologizing Jazz, I'm the one who should be and I am sorry but I will protect her". Jasper nodded and grinned at Emmett, "I'm glad she has you to protect her. All of you actually". They all smiled at him and then I moved to go inside. I had to start Charlie's dinner soon and still had some homework. I was still in shock over what had taken place outside. Emmett would protect me from Jasper kissing me? That seemed ridiculous to me at first, but then I looked at it from Emmett's point of view. I was his human baby sister and in love with a vampire. He was a vampire and knew what they were capable of. I loved him a little more for wanting to protect me. I wonder if that's what Alice had meant earlier about Emmett helping me with Charlie.

Charlie had quickly gotten over his initial shock of seeing all the Cullen kids and Alice's new boyfriend. I had told him the night before that I was dating Jasper and he took it well. I think it was because he couldn't deny how much happier I was with Jasper. Where Alice had Charlie wrapped around her finger, Rose had him eating out of the palm of her hand. I could tell that Charlie was enthralled by her beauty. They all got along so fabulously that it made my heart swell. Charlie was accepting of them all, even Jasper. He had hated Edward, but never felt that way about Jasper. I thought maybe Jasper was influencing his emotions, but when I confronted him about later he swore it was all Charlie and I believed all the honesty that was pushed at me then.

Garrett and Charlie talked like they were old friends and I was glad. I was nervous about how he would react to each of the boys. His reaction to Emmett had to have been the most surprising to me. Emmett had snatched him up for a hug as soon as they met and I was silently panicking. Charlie started laughing the instant his feet touched the ground again and those two were glued at the hip all night. He loved that Emmett was so blunt and up front about everything. They even had made a date to go fishing together! Emmett had somehow won Charlie over the most and he seemed just as interested in Charlie as Charlie was in him. Before I knew it they had disappeared into the garage together to check out all of Charlie's fishing gear. I suddenly knew what Alice had meant about Emmett helping me. Emmett would get the message to Charlie that I was happy and loved when he could no longer see me. I could give Charlie that much. I looked at Alice when I felt her starting at me, as I stared after Emmett and Charlie, she smiled and nodded her head once. I was so happy that I could at least give Charlie this much. I was so glad she was allowing me to give him that.

"Can Emmett pick me up after school tomorrow?" I asked while Charlie was still out of ear shot.

"I haven't picked you up all week so far and now you want Emmett to be the one there tomorrow?" Jasper teased as he kissed my cheek. I smiled at him, "Well Alice and Rose have already done it once, so I figure Emmett could use a turn to spend some quality bonding time with me". They were all laughing and I narrowed my eyes.

"Emmett just said Jasper better agree or he's never going to allow him anywhere near you again" Rosalie whispered. Damn that vampire speed talking thing! I always missed stuff with my slow human hearing. That would be one thing that I definitely would not miss. At least they were all making an effort to tell me what I missed now. I appreciated that.

"He says it will give you two time to have a brother to sister talk" Garrett chimed in and Alice burst out laughing. I glared at her.

"I'm sorry Bella but I just saw part of that conversation and I couldn't help myself" she must have finished telling the rest of them what she saw as they all burst out laughing.

"Stupid vampire speed talkers" I muttered under my breath.

Jasper wrapped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me to him, "Emmett will be so mad at us, if we tell you anything darlin'. So please just wait until he talks to you himself?". I grumbled a yes and then Emmett and Charlie came walking back in. They all feigned sleepiness a little while later and left. Jasper would be back when I went to bed and for that I was happy. I loved spending all night in Jasper's arms and I knew I would love it even more when I no longer had to sleep through it all. Charlie had commented that they were all very polite and raised well by Esme and Carlisle. He was excited about his fishing date with Emmett and that made me laugh. How the heck did Emmett expect to spend a day fishing with Charlie? Then I realized that after Friday there would be no need to worry. Emmett wouldn't have to keep up the pretense of being interested in fishing once I was changed. I was a little sad that they wouldn't get to do that.

School dragged by as I waited for the end of the day. I really needed to talk to Emmett about Charlie before anything happened and I was impatient to get it over with. I almost fell as I ran to the truck when the last bell finally rang.

"Hey little sis" Emmett greeted me from the driver's seat of my truck as I tried to get in.

"Hey Emmett. What the hell is going on? You're not driving!" I exclaimed as I finally realized why he would be sitting behind the wheel. He reached his massive arms out to me and had me buckled in the passenger seat before I had time to blink.

"Yes I am Bella. You drive so slow and I want to see what this baby can do!" he threw the truck in reverse and went flying out of the parking spot. I was clutching the seat for my life. I knew Emmett drove way better than me on my best day and would keep me safe, but he drove like a maniac! He was the scariest driver out of all the Cullen's and I felt like I was going to be sick.

"We need to talk Emmett and I can't think coherently while being flung around on my seat" I told him. Suddenly we were pulled over on the road almost halfway to the Cullen's house. How the hell had he gotten so much speed out of my old truck? I didn't want to think about that anymore. "I need you to do me a favor" I began as my heart rate finally slowed and my stomach settled itself. He turned to face me.

"Anything sis, just name it" he grinned hugely at me.

"Please promise me that you will find a way to tell Charlie how happy and loved I feel once my change is done".

Confusion swept across his face, "Why me Bella? Charlie loves Alice the most out of any of us".

I started shaking my head at him, "That may be true, but if he hears it from Alice, Jasper, Esme, or Carlisle he will think they are lying to him to try and help him. Even Rosalie and Garrett would get the same response from him. I know my dad and he took to you the most last night Em. He trusts you because you are so honest and straight forward. He will know when it's you that tells him, that it really is the truth. Please promise me you will make sure he knows how much I love him and how it was my choice? I knew you can't tell him specifically what happened to me, but he needs to know I choose this". I had practiced my side of the conversation over and over all day in school and I delivered it just how I had wanted to.

Emmett sat there thinking before responding, "Okay Bella I'll do it. I don't know what I will say yet, but I promise to think about it before I go there. I'm glad he likes me the best, since I am the best!" he finished by exclaiming that. I rolled my eyes at him, but didn't argue. Let him think what he wanted about Charlie liking him the best. Who knows, it may be true?

"We need to talk about sex now Bella" he said. My mouth fell open and stayed there. This bluntness of Emmett's was exactly why he would be the one to tell Charlie. I sat there mouth hanging open until he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Look I know this is going to be awkward and I apologize, but we need to have this talk".

"Oh god Emmett please stop!" I begged him. He shook his head furiously. "No Bella. When you change and you are Jasper's equal, you two will eventually want to have sex and I need you to understand something. It's not easy for a female vampire to lose her virginity if it wasn't done while she human". Kill me now I silently begged as I blushed, but Emmett just kept going. He looked as though if he could blush too, he would be redder than I was. I didn't have the heart to stop him as he was so hell bent on finishing this talk. Maybe the faster he talked, the faster it would be over with. "It will hurt just as it does a human girl, but if not done properly it could end up hurting every time. We heal ourselves as you know" a light bulb clicked as I finally got what he was saying. I would heal over and over again unless something was done.

"Jasper knows what to do to get you over that, but I wanted you to be prepared. I know I could have waited or let one of the girls talk to you about this Bella. I just felt it was my big brother duty to warn you of what will happen". Why the hell did he need to warn me now when sex was the farthest thing from my mind? I thought about how to answer him without hurting his feelings.

I smiled at him, "Thank you big bro, I really appreciate your protectiveness. I have to admit I am beyond embarrassed though and wish you would have let one of the girls talk to me".

"We've kept you in the dark about so much Bella and you shouldn't be in the dark about this or anything else. You should talk to everyone about what they remember from the change and go into it as prepared as possible. I'm taking you to the house now and we all have decided to spend the rest of the night answering your questions and telling you everything there is to know about our kind". He smiled at me and pulled me in for a hug, "No more secrets" he said as he pulled away. I smiled at that as I hugged him back. We started driving towards the house again, talking about everything but sex. I was glad that talk was over and I was extremely excited to find out all they had to share with me about the vampire world.

Jasper

Bella and I had spent the most amazing five days between my house and hers. Alice, Garret, Rosalie, and Emmett had even accompanied me to Charlie's house one night. Charlie was delighted to see Alice again and they spent a good portion of the night catching up. I never knew how much she had cared for Charlie too. Rosalie seemed to take to Charlie as well. She normally shied away from most humans, but she was at ease in his presence and joining in the conversation quite frequently. He was eating out of the palm of her hand. Garrett had years of experience in dealing with humans and was comfortable as well. Emmett was the only one who worried me. He had hugged Charlie the moment they met and seemed to be entranced with him. Luckily Charlie had been amused by the hug and even laughed as Emmett finally set him down.

Emmett kept interrupting the conversation and asking Charlie questions. Charlie never seemed to get fed up with him and always answered. I sensed his emotions and he was at peace and he found Emmett's bluntness entertaining most of the time. Somehow during the course of the night, Emmett had even wrangled a fishing invitation out of the chief. What the hell was Emmett thinking? Did he honestly believe he could go sit in a boat in the sun with Charlie all day and have him not notice his sparkling skin? They went out to the garage at one point so Charlie could show Emmett all his fishing gear!

Rosalie even had to hiss at him once, in vampire speed of course, "Em, I don't know what this weird obsession you seem to have with Charlie is, but could you please knock it off? It's really freaking me out a little bit". She had caught Emmett staring at Charlie for an unusually long time. It was kind of creepy and yet funny at the same time.

Emmett had hissed back, "I can't stop myself Rose, but he's just so fascinating to me".

That was the one and only time he was permitted around the chief. We all felt it was for the best, except for Bella and Emmett. Bella thought it was endearing the way Emmett was with Charlie. Of course Emmett had thought he did nothing wrong and was trying his best to convince us all to let him come back. He was met with a resounding no from Alice, Garrett, Rose, and I. He sulked about it for two days.

I had thought things would be weird at first between Alice and me, but we fell into the most amazing friendship. She was right of course, we would always be best friends. Garrett and Bella struck up a friendship, which was quite surprising to me. They got along fantastically and acted as if they had known each other for years, instead of just days. We all reacted that way to Garrett though. He was just so easy to like and talk to. Esme and Carlisle had been quiet for most of the week. They kept to themselves most of the time now and I could feel that it was the impending situation with Edward that caused their behavior. While they were both happy for all of us and to have all of us as their adopted children, they were sad about losing Edward. I understood that, we were all sad to lose him as a family member but he had chosen this for himself. I couldn't bring myself to feel that badly for him. He was coming here to try to kill me after all and the major in me would never forget that part.

I had finally told all of my family about my past. The only other person I had ever told my horrifying past to was Bella. I had confessed everything that month we had spent together before the rest of them showed up. I had worried she would judge me or be scared, but she never was either. She was understanding and forgiving about it all. The rest of them were as well when I told them. They all told me I should have told them sooner and I was relieved. I had really opened up and finally let them in. It brought us all closer and our relationships were flourishing. It always made me happy whenever I sensed all their emotions about each other.

We had spent Wednesday evening at our house with Bella and we had made sure to answer any question she had about us. We also told her everything there was to know about vampires. Her emotions always amazed me. They were calm and peaceful for the most part, and excited for the rest of it. She was truly at peace at joining our family and that made me so happy. The only time her emotions showed any fear was the talk of the Volturi. They creeped her out for some reason and I was fascinated to know why. They were like royalty to our kind. I would ask her about it someday. I knew Emmett had embarrassed the hell out of her earlier and I was so relieved that she wasn't mad at him or any of us for not stopping him. We knew she had to have that kind of sex talk with someone and when Alice saw Emmett stepping up to the plate we all cowardly let him take the bullet for us, so to speak. Alice said it hadn't gone nearly as bad as she saw it going. Emmett had decided to reign it in at the last minute and only give Bella a vague description of what he wanted to say. I was secretly glad that he hadn't told her everything about it. Sex was the farthest thing from my mind right now and we would worry about crossing that bridge when we got there.

I could feel Alice was hiding something from me and I cornered her on Thursday about it. All she told me was that we would be playing baseball the next night and Edward would show up. She begged me to please trust her and do what she said when that happened. I readily agreed, I would never argue with what she saw after she had given me Bella and my future.

**A/N: I must love you guys! Two chapter's within 24 hours and over 5,000 words! **** I hope you like this one as much as the others. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews. If I don't respond to them all, I'm sorry. I do read and cherish each and every one though. I hope you giggled at least a little at some point in this one, as I did when I wrote it. The next chapter will be a big one & will strictly be from Emmett's pov. I'm looking forward to writing that one! *Hugs***


	8. Chapter 8

Emmett

So the sex talk with Bella had not been my brightest idea. I knew it would be uncomfortable for both of us, but it had to be done. Everyone was acting like it was nothing and they could deal with it later. My hope had been that maybe she would have taken the hint or initiative and tried to get Jasper to take her virginity before the change. I knew the risks of a vampire and human having sex, but the pain that Bella would suffer later was unnecessary in my opinion. Unfortunately, she had not taken the hint and would be going through the change a virgin. I should have tried harder, but it seemed like their relationship wasn't at that point yet. Nothing I could have said, would have changed that. Why couldn't they just mate already?

I hated just waiting for stuff to happen. It was tedious and boring to just wait around. We all went hunting together Thursday to prepare for Edward. Well everyone except Jasper and Garrett; they were on Bella watch and would go when Bella was in school Friday. I thought it was strange that Alice's mate and ex seemed to be such good friends, but no one else apparently did. I had bets on Jasper if it ever came to a physical fight. Rosalie and I would be in the woods at Forks High to watch over Bella and then we were going to play baseball. I loved baseball! It was the only time I was permitted to use my immense strength against any of them. Needless to say, playing baseball was one of my favorite things to do.

Alice had already cleared Bella's weekend schedule with Charlie. She told him we were all going camping and that Esme and Carlisle would love for Bella to join us. He had agreed readily enough. Apparently he had some major fishing he wanted to do this weekend and was feeling guilty about leaving Bella alone all the time. I wish I could have found out more about the good chief, but none of them would let me go around him anymore. They all said I had an "obsession" with him. In my defense, I just thought the guy was cool and wanted to get to know him better. They all misunderstood me. Bella was the only who defended me and we were both outvoted. Oh well, I would see him again soon enough. Bella had trusted me with making sure that Charlie knew she was happy and loved once her change took place. I took that request very seriously, as I knew how much she loved Charlie and wanted it done right.

"Em, we have to do it this way or she will die" Rose was saying to me. We were hanging around Forks High and I was whining. I wanted to attack Edward the second I saw him. I was pissed at him for his treatment of Bella and for wanting to kill my brother. Alice wouldn't allow me to though. Actually none of them would allow me to. Sometimes I wished I had a gift like Alice or Jasper so that I could be the one laying out all the rules.

"I know, but I just want to kill the jackass".

Rosalie smiled her most beautiful smile at me, "I will gladly help you hunt him down and kill him for this, but only after this happens. You know we have to listen to Alice".

I sighed, "I'm holding you to that promise". We drove back to the house with Bella after school and Jasper and Garrett were back. It was time to go to the clearing. Alice had insisted that we keep Jasper in the dark about this. All he knew was we would be playing baseball when Edward came and there would be a confrontation. She said it was of the "utmost importance" that he not know beforehand as Jasper most likely would not have let Bella go. It needed to happen this way. I just hoped Jasper wouldn't be angry with us for how we were letting this play out. I really loved Jasper's and my friendship and hated for anything to ruin that. Jasper and I had always gotten along but the time we spent in Canada with out Edward and all this time back in Forks with Bella had really brought us closer together. We really were brothers now and even best friends. I just hoped he would understand.

We went to the clearing and started our game. We were halfway through and my team was winning of course, when Alice stopped and called out, "he's coming". We ran back to where Bella was sitting under an umbrella and she stood up. Jasper grabbed her hand and stood half way in front of her to the right. I took her left side with Rosalie next to me. We had her almost completely blocked from view. Carlisle and Esme were a foot in front of us and Garrett and Alice were on Jasper's other side. We were prepared to fight for her.

Edward came into view and he looked terrible. His hair was disheveled, his clothes torn up, his shoes were missing, and he looked half crazed. I was sure that he wasn't concentrating on any of our thoughts because I was screaming at him in my head and he didn't even acknowledge me. He only had eyes for Bella and Jasper. It was a good thing that Esme couldn't read minds too because she would have torn off one of my limbs if she had heard all the name calling I was doing in my head.

"Waiting to fight off the big, bad, crazy vampire from the fragile human?" He snarled at us. Pssh! Puh-lease! I could take him with my eyes closed.

"Edward, my son, please let us talk calmly about all this" Carlisle pleaded.

Edward snorted, "I am no longer the prodigal son. I am no one's son. I am part of no coven and I will answer to no one". His eyes narrowed on Bella, "She's mine. You can't have her. I'll never let you have her". Esme stiffened and Alice snarled.

"Why don't we ask her who she belongs to?" Jasper coolly replied. I was impressed at his attitude. If it had been me, I knew I probably would have lost it with dear Eddie boy by now.

"I belong to Jasper and the rest of the family except for you. You lost your right to claim me as anything the day you broke my heart". Bella answered. I was silently cheering her on. It was about time she got to stand up to Edward and defend herself. How had any of us ever thought he good enough for her? Jasper was such a better man for my sis.

"You can't possibly believe she loves you? What could she love about a slaughterer?" Edward growled at Jasper. Clearly somebody had invaded Jasper's personal space and all his memories from his time in the south. I snarled at Edward. I had always hated him for not respecting our privacy that way. Bella stepped forward to stand between Esme and Carlisle. I could hear the growls starting to leave Jasper's chest. He moved to step forward behind her and Alice grabbed his hand. "No, she **needs** to do this". He nodded stiffly but continued to growl.

"How dare you talk about Jasper that way. What the hell do you think gives you the right to judge him or any one of us for that matter? Why don't you just stay the hell out of all of our memories and heads?" Rosalie snapped at Edward. That's my girl, always quick to say what's on her mind. And they all thought I was the impulsive one?

Edward finally seemed to notice the rest of us and he glared at her, "Stay out of it you stupid bitch or I'll kill you too. This is between Bella, Jasper, and I". I was the one who was growling now and Jasper put his hand on my shoulder to restrain me. I felt the calm coming over me and looked at him gratefully. Nobody talks to my Rosie that way. He was going to pay dearly when I got my hands on him.

"No Edward, this involves us all now" Carlisle disagreed. "The second you decided to come kill one of my other sons, you made it about all of us". Carlisle was starting to grow tired of Edward and his games and it was showing on his face. Carlisle was always the most patient out of any of us and if he was starting to get fed up, it was time to end this. I was eagerly anticipating the moment when I could take dear old Eddie on.

"You know I really have grown quite tired of hearing you all talk so how about we just get on with this. Are you going to give her to me or make me come get her?"

Bella stiffened, "I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm staying here with Jasper and my family. I love them all and they love me". Edward snorted again. "They do Edward, more than you ever did. They want me to be a part of their family forever and Jasper wants me to stay with him forever as well. You never wanted that. If you had truly wanted me, you would have changed me. I look back now and think that you only wanted me around for my blood". Alice hissed as Jasper read Edward's feelings and let out the most ferocious growl I had ever heard. It was true? I'll kill him! I crouched a little and snarled along with Rose, Carlisle, Esme, and Garrett.

Edward's eyes grew huge, "You're damning her to this life? How can you agree to take away her soul?" he shouted at Jasper.

"It is her decision Edward. I love Bella and will do anything to make her happy and safe and this is what she has chosen. Unlike you, I love her enough to want to spend eternity with her". If it was possible Edward's eyes took on an even crazier look.

"I love her Jasper. I love her the most because I was willing to walk away and let her live without me".

Bella snorted, "What kind of a life did you expect me to have Edward? Did you want me to live in pain forever? Did you want me to just sit around hoping for you to come back someday? I've moved on with my life and I'm the happiest I've ever been. Jasper has done that for me. Jasper was the one who put me back together when you broke me. The relationship we have is much healthier than what I had with you. I've never felt like this about anyone and I have you to thank for that. So thank you Edward for breaking my heart and letting me open myself up to Jasper" with each word she had moved a little closer to Edward. I wanted to reach out and yank her back but I knew I had to listen to Alice and let this happen.

I risked a glance at the rest of my family and saw the urge to grab her on each of their faces. Jasper was the only one who looked like he might actually step forward again to stop her. Alice was suddenly shouting, "Grab her Carlisle! Esme! His plans have changed, we may be too late". I turned back to Bella just in time to see Edward fly forward and pick her up. He took off running in the opposite direction and we were all chasing him. Damn that boy could run! I forgot how fast he was. Bella was screaming at him to put her down and suddenly he stopped and turned to face us. The look on his face was pure evil. There must have been some evil in this boy before and we had never noticed it. Why else would he be acting like a crazed lunatic? We stopped about 10 feet from them and I wanted to cross that 10 feet and grab Bella away. Alice had her eyes closed while she searched the future. Jasper's body was tense and he was sending out the most severe feelings of rage that I had ever felt from him. I was already angry and his rage just intensified mine.

"He's going to kill her" Alice muttered. Her head was shaking back and forth and she was shaking. Garrett was trying to calm her down, while still focusing on Edward.

"Put her down" Jasper growled out.

"Gladly, you can't change her if it's too late" Edward answered and with that he bent his head down to her neck, bit across it, and threw her down. The force and speed at which he threw her was too much for even a vampire to beat. I could hear the bones in her right leg and both arms break as she hit the ground. The blood was pouring out of the hole in her neck. She tried to scream out in pain but the injury to her neck wouldn't allow it. Like the coward he was, Edward took off running. I wanted to run after him right then, but I was much more concerned about Bella. We could find that asshole later and deal with him.

"He thinks he's killed her" Alice said. "I could see that was his intention, but he didn't do it right".

"No he didn't. He would have killed her if he had bit her carotid artery. We're lucky he didn't" Carlisle confirmed.

Jasper had rushed forward and picked Bella up already, cradling her in his arms. Rosalie was standing right in front of him checking on her as well. I loved my Rosie even more for the care she was showing Bella now. Carlisle tried to get around Rose to see Bella but Jasper had moved and was crouching in front of Rose and growling at him while clutching Bella to his chest.

"He's mated" Alice said sang out happily. "Be careful Dad". It was about damn time he mated to her!

Rose stepped up to stand right behind him and put her hand on his shoulder, "Jazz, you have to let Carlisle give her the morphine and check her injuries. He's only trying to help. We need to change her now before it's too late". Jasper stayed in his position for a full two seconds before he suddenly stood and held Bella out to her.

"Take her Rose, I can't hold her while he does or I'll attack him" and he gently gave Bella to Rose. "Emmett, Garrett, Alice you three need to restrain me". I was proud of him for realizing he couldn't control his inner beast about this. Jasper had changed so much since he had fallen in love with Bella. She truly was his other half. Before he would have insisted he was fine and probably would have ended up hurting Carlisle.

I stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around his, while Garrett stepped in front of him and started pushing us all back. Alice was at his left side talking calmly to him about how this was the right thing to do. Carlisle took one step towards Bella and Jasper lost it. He somehow broke out of all of our grasps and was in front of Bella and Rosalie. The growls coming out of his throat were terrifying to even me. He started backing up while pushing them with him. His inner beast was in full control and I finally saw Jasper for the war God he truly used to be. It was awesome to see him in action like this! I had heard his story, but nothing compared to seeing it first hand. I knew now was the worst time to be wishing I could take him on in a real wrestling match, but I really wanted to. I focused on Bella's face instead.

"Jasper please" Esme pleaded from Carlisle's side.

"There's no getting through to him right now" Carlisle sadly told us. "He's not going to let us near her".

Rosalie looked down at Bella's even paler white face, "Bella honey, I need you to do me a favor okay?" Bella nodded weakly, "We need Carlisle to come over here and give you some morphine to help make the change easier on you, but Jasper won't let him. We also need to get some more venom in your system, but I doubt Jasper will let Carlisle get near you for that either. I need you to somehow find the strength to tell Jasper that this is what you want and need or you will die. Please Bella do this for all of us and for Jasper. We all need you to live". Bella nodded again and Rose slowly stepped forward and bent Bella down to Jasper's eye level. I was so proud of my Rosie for being the one who held Bella and for loving her. If she hadn't loved Bella, there was no way she would have just done that.

Bella reached her left hand out to his cheek and Jasper finally stopped growling. He looked her in the eyes and she mouthed the word please to him, it was his undoing. He said, "Anything for you darlin" and sunk to the ground. I rushed forward to restrain him again and this time he stayed where he was. Carlisle got the morphine in her system and Jasper was on his feet again. It miffed me that he seemed able to keep breaking free from my grasp. I was the strongest one of them! It must be the mating thing that was giving him the extra strength. We **would** be testing that out later.

"I want to be the one who changes her. She chose me and this life and I'm choosing to be the one who gives it to her" he pleaded with Carlisle. Alice was right on the money with her visions. She knew Jasper would demand this of Carlisle and promised that Jasper could control himself. He would never let any harm to come to Bella and wouldn't live without her.

Carlisle stepped back, "Of course my son. Push as much venom in her system as you can. You'll do great". Jasper stepped forward and Rose handed him Bella. He cradled her in his arms and apologized for the pain he was about to put her through. He bit each of her wrists and the place above her heart. He added a few more bites to where Carlisle told him to. When he was done he looked at Carlisle.

"Can we take her home now?"

"Yes. My office is set up as a make shift hospital room for her and we can all talk there". Jasper turned to run and we all followed. Edward's scent was nowhere to be found any where near the house. I was disappointed by that. I was ready to kill him. I wanted to kill him. He deserved nothing less. First he breaks Bella's heart and leaves her, then he actually breaks her physically. How the hell could we let him get away this? We couldn't. I was going to find him and make sure he paid, but first I had to find a way to sneak away and talk to Charlie. I hoped Alice could help me with that.

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much for the great reviews! Please keep them coming! I love reading what you each think of the story & I even giggled while reading some **** I hope you liked Emmett's take on the drama & I promise there will be a fight scene in one of the later chapter's. Maybe even two fight scenes. You'll have to keep reading to find out!**


	9. Chapter 9

Jasper

I wanted to find Edward and tear him limb from limb and burn the pieces. I was proud of Bella for finally standing up to him and happy she would be one of us soon, but this was not the way it was supposed to happen. It was going to be her choice not someone else's. How dare he take that from her on top of everything else he had done to her? Right now though my concern was Bella and making her as comfortable as possible. We had reached the house and I set her down on the makeshift bed in Carlisle's office. I could feel her emotions and while there was no pain there was plenty of fear. She was terrified of that we were not going to love her anymore. What? How could she possibly think that? Did she feel like it was her fault that Edward had lost his mind and tried to kill? I truly hoped not. I decided to try and talk to her to see if it would help calm her down. "Bella, if you can hear me darlin' I promise you we are all going to love you as much as we did before. You have nothing to worry about". Her feelings changed immediately to hope and contentment.

Esme flitted in and then realized what she had done and looked at me. I nodded at her that it was okay for her to be in there with us. She smiled at me and sat down next to the bed and grabbed Bella's hand, "We are here for you Bella. We always will be. You are officially going to be a part of this family and I personally can't wait to welcome my newest daughter". Bella's emotions relaxed even more. We sat that way for hours taking turns talking to her. Esme was the only one I had let get near the room. I couldn't help it but whenever I heard any of them approach, I growled at them. I knew it was a part of the mating thing, but I still felt horrible. They were just trying to help. Esme had reassured me many times that they all understood.

"He's going to the Volturi" I heard Alice say from the living room. I stiffened.

"Jasper why don't you go down there and help them plan what we are going to do next. I'll stay here with Bella and keep her safe. You know they can use your military history to plan strategically".

"Thank you mom" I said before I bent down to kiss Bella's head, "I'll be right downstairs and Esme will be with you the whole time. I'll be back before you know it". I pushed all the peaceful energy I could at her and headed downstairs.

Alice was standing at the windows that faced out on the river behind the house. Garrett was sitting on the couch next to Carlisle and Rosalie. Emmett was furiously pacing from the windows by Alice to the couch across the room. He was angrier than I had ever seen him and I immediately picked up on and amplified that emotion. The rest of them felt it when I did and Garrett was next to me.

"Jasper, please calm down. One pissed off vampire is all we can handle right now" he told me. I nodded at him and reigned in the anger. I tested the rest of their emotions and settled on feeling the determination that was now radiating off of Carlisle, Rose, and Garrett. Alice was feeling anger and sadness.

"Why is he going to Italy Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"He's going to tell Aro that we are a threat to them. He's going to convince the Volturi that we need to be dealt with now. He's somehow found a way to block certain thoughts from Aro and will convice them that we killed Bella and took away his mate as punishment for something trivial. He will make you and Esme look like tyrants".

Esme hissed from upstairs. Emmett continued his pacing and Rosalie put her hand on Carlisle's shoulder, "Dad, it will be okay. Once Aro talks to us and hears our side of the story, they will realize that Edward is crazy". Alice was shaking her head.

"We don't know that Rose and I can't see their decision until it is made. They only reason I can see them coming is because Edward's decision to go there will set things in motion. Then there's the problem of Edward blocking Aro".

"Can we stop Edward before he gets there?" Carlisle asked. We all turned to look at him. Never did any of us ever think Carlisle would want us to stop Edward and kill him.

"No he's been running since he tried to kill Bella and he will board a plane to Italy in three minutes. We will never make it before him and we need to be here for Bella" Alice answered.

"Of course we do" Carlisle replied. "It was just a thought".

An idea suddenly struck me. I needed to keep Alice in the dark about it though. That was the only way I could think of for it work. "Why do you want us to go there Jazz? And why do I have to stop watching all of your futures?" she was glaring at me. Of course she had already seen me asking her and Garrett to go to Charlie's house.

"Garrett, will you and Alice please go to Charlie's house and get some of Bella's things? She should have some of her own stuff to remember her human life. You both know her so well, you can pick out the stuff that means the most to her" I said to them. I could feel Alice glaring at me still, "Please Alice, don't watch any of us until after you return. It has to be this way for just a little while". She nodded curtly at me. She had always hated when any of us asked her to do this, but I knew she would respect my wishes.

"Yes, she should have some reminders and do as Jasper asks of you Alice" Esme said from upstairs.

Garrett nodded and stood up, "Of course we will Jasper" and he started to cross the room to Alice. He patted me on the shoulder as he passed and grabbed Alice's hand. They were gone instantly.

"Rose, Emmett, Bella, and I are leaving right now" I announced when they were out of hearing distance. Carlisle's head snapped up and Esme was suddenly standing in front of me.

"You can't take her from me now when she needs me the most Jasper! I won't allow it" she was shrieking at me. Carlisle stood up and moved to her side. "Esme is right Jasper. She needs us all right now and we need her and you. You are both a part of this family and nothing will change that. Why do you want to leave?"

"I don't want to Dad, but we have to. Edward thinks he killed Bella right?" I stopped and waited for them to all nod, "Alice is the only one who can show Aro the truth about what Edward did and she has to believe Bella died as well". I let that sink in.

Rosalie spoke up first, "If we show up once the Volturi are already here with Bella alive they will know Edward is a liar and Aro will then trust Alice enough to touch her and see all her visions and the actual events for himself" she summarized. I never gave Rose enough credit, she was hands down, the smartest vampire here, next to Carlisle of course.

"The only bad part is Aro will get all of Alice's memories and we can't risk him seeing Bella alive before we show up. If he agrees to touch her before we get here and Bella is alive, he could choose to kill you all on the spot for Edward. Edward and Aro have to believe she is dead until we are ready to show her. Then they can take care of him and we won't have to" I finished quietly. I knew this would be the thing to convince them to let us go. They truly did not want to harm Edward, but would do so if necessary. With the Volturi taking care of Edward it would be easier for them to deal with his death.

Carlisle and Esme both agreed that this was the best decision then. "I'll tell Alice that Bella had a bad reaction to the mix of morphine and venom and had a heart attack. Jasper was so upset that he took off running with her body and Rose and Em, you both went after him to bring him back".

Esme sighed, "Alice is going to kill us for lying to her like this".

I nodded and looked at Emmett as I sensed his apprehension, "What if Alice sees what really happened?" he asked me.

Esme's head turned towards upstairs and she smiled at me, "I'm going to go clean Bella up and change her clothes. She will freak out if she sees the blood when she wakes up and you can't travel with her looking like that".

"Thank you mom" I hugged her and turned back to Emmett, "Mom and dad will have to tell her not to look for my future or either of yours. If she believes them that Bella is dead she won't even bother to look for hers". It was so much easier to call them mom and dad now and I was going to miss them like crazy. I hoped we wouldn't have to be gone long.

"Yes we will. We can tell her to let you calm down on your own and to let Rosalie and Emmett take their time finding you. We need to give you time" he said. "You can go back to the house in Canada if you like. I will make arrangements to get you everything you need, but you need to hurry up and go before she gets back". I thanked him for everything and flew upstairs to pack a few things for myself. I would buy Bella whatever she needed. I gave my bag to Emmett and we agreed to meet in 2 hours close to the border. I couldn't let Alice catch my scent getting into his jeep. Esme had gently carried Bella downstairs to me and I was cradling her against my chest. I explained everything to her and felt like she understood me. I still felt no pain from her and I knew that she was hiding it from me when she screamed out one word, "Charlie!" Her pain would have broke my heart if it still beat. Both from the pain of losing Charlie and the physical torment she was suffering from the change. Before I could calm her pain though, she had reigned it in and was peaceful. Emmett was gripping her hand then and my jaw clenched. I tried so hard not to growl at him but it wasn't working too well.

"I promised you Bella and I will keep that promise. Don't worry about Charlie right now. He will know you are loved and safe. I promise. Concentrate on all the human memories you want to bring with you of Charlie. Focus on his love for you and yours for him" Emmett bent down and kissed her cheek and then was off hugging Esme and Carlisle before I could cause him any harm.

Rosalie stepped forward tentatively and I nodded yes to her, "See you in two hours Bells. I love you and so does everyone else. Do as Emmett said and focus on all the human memories you want to bring with you so that you never forget them". She hugged me too and then moved on to our parents. Within a second they were in Emmett's jeep and speeding off towards Charlie's. What exactly had Bella made Emmett promise her and why Emmett of all people? He shouldn't be allowed near Charlie alone in my opinion.

"We will see you soon my son" Carlisle said as he moved to hug me. I kept the beast under control and let both him and Esme hug us both. Esme was silently sobbing and tears that would never shed were pooled in her eyes. Venom really did flow through every part of our beings. "Take care of my daughter and be good to my son" she said to us. I thanked them and told them I loved them as I ran out the door and into the forest.

Emmett

I made Rose drop me off near Charlie's but in a different direction than the house. Alice couldn't know I was going there. Once I had determined that their scent had come and gone I went to the door. What the hell was I going to say? I needed to do this now while Alice wasn't looking at my future. I took an unnecessary deep breath and knocked. I could hear Charlie shuffling to the door.

"Why hello Emmett" he said as he pulled it open. Concern immediately took over his features and I hated myself for what I was about to do to him, "I thought you were all camping with Bella? Did something happen to her?"

"May I please come in to speak with you Charlie?" I asked. He nodded and stepped back to let me in. He moved to sit in the chair of the living room as I settled into the couch. I better just get this over with.

"What I'm about to tell you is going to be hard for you to hear, but please just listen to me until I am done?" I begged. He nodded and I continued, "We had a little incident with Edward earlier and he injured Bella pretty badly" I stopped as Charlie's face turned bright red and he was standing up yelling at me.

"What do you mean hurt her? Where is she?"

"Please calm down Charlie. Bella will never forgive me if you have a heart attack and die while I tell you this. It was her wish that I come to tell you that she will forever be loved and safe, but can no longer see you". If it was possible he turned a darker shade of red. I was panicking, what if he had a heart attack? Carlisle should have been the one to come here and do this, he was the doctor.

"Why can't she see me anymore?" he angrily demanded.

I decided to just be as truthful as I possibly could, "I know that you can tell something is just not right with all of us right?" I waited until he sat back down and nodded yes, "I can't give you the details as your life will be in danger then and you only need to know the public story like the rest of Forks. Edward injured Bella very badly and she almost died. The only way for us to save her was for us to turn her into one of us. It was her wish Charlie. She wanted this so she could join our family and stay with Jasper". I looked at him and saw the emotions flicker across his face. He was hurt, angry, sad, confused, and resigned all within a minute of each other.

"I don't understand why she can't see me though?" he finally asked. "She's my life Emmett. I can understand her choosing whatever life she wants to lead, but I don't understand that".

It looked as if the worst was over. This was why the great Chief had mesmerized me so much to begin with. His emotions seemed so much like Bella's. They both sifted through them so quickly and always made a decision and stuck with it.

"Bella needs to learn how to deal with this change. It's not in either of your best interests to see each other right now. I can't promise you anything but I truly do hope one day she can see you again" I honestly told him. I meant that. I could see how much it would mean for both of them to see each other again and if we made sure to keep it from the Volturi, then what was the harm in that? It's not like he knew what we were. I made sure of that.

"You'll make sure that she knows exactly how much I love her and want to see her again? No matter how long it takes her to come back to me, I'll be waiting".

"Of course I will".

Charlie nodded and then smiled sadly, "I always knew she would leave my house again eventually but I just thought I would have more time with her. I'll tell the town that she suddenly decided to return to Phoenix. Oh my gosh I forgot about Renee. What am I supposed to tell Renee?"

I took another unnecessary deep breath, "We can arrange it to fake her death if you want Charlie. If that will make it easier on you". I had a sudden thought, "Look I can't explain it, but Alice has a way of seeing things and we need for you to truly believe that Bella has died so Alice doesn't get suspicious. Jasper, Rosalie, Bella, and I are leaving Forks tonight with Alice believing that Bella has died. It unfortunately has to be this way for a reason I can't disclose. Alice will learn the truth eventually, but for now she really needs to believe it just like you do. I can make the call to Carlisle to tell him to go ahead with a fake death". Charlie sat quietly for five minutes before answering me.

"Yes please do. A fake death will explain everything easier, but please make sure no one is hurt for it".

"Of course not. Carlisle would never agree to hurting anyone and neither would any of us" I responded.

Charlie stood up then and smiled weakly at me, "Thank you for being as honest as you can with me Emmett. I really do appreciate it more than you know. I will make sure to do my part in making everyone believe she really is dead. Please pass my love along to her and my gratitude to your family for saving her. If you don't mind, I think I need to be alone".

I stood up as well and moved to embrace him in a hug, "Thank you for understanding. I'll call Carlisle" and with that I left. I wasn't sure I would ever see Charlie again and right then I knew that I wanted to. I hoped we could find a way around this. I called Carlisle and hurriedly filled him in on Charlie's wishes. I got back in the jeep and told Rose everything. She kissed me and told me I had done an excellent job and that Bella would be proud of me when she woke up. We were soon flying around the roads going to meet Jasper and Bella for our next adventure. I couldn't wait for the change to be over and for Bella to finally be one of us. She was such an amazing human and I knew she would be a spectacular vampire.

Alice

How could I have missed this? I saw Bella being one of us! How could I miss her death and not warn them? No wonder Jasper had ran off with her dead body, he couldn't stand to see me. I was supposed to see this type of thing happening and I failed them all. Carlisle had told me not to feel guilty and that it wasn't my fault, but how could I believe that? I was sobbing into Garrett's arms and he just held me. He was whispering soothing words but I wasn't paying any attention to what he was he saying. I had lost my sister and most likely my whole family. They would never be able to look at me the same again.

"Alice" Carlisle was saying my name. I focused my eyes on him and waited for him to continue, "Please don't feel guilty Alice. There was nothing we could have done. We tried everything. It is not your fault that this happened and you know it". I was shaking my head no at him.

"IT IS MY FAULT! I should have seen it, I should have seen something!".

Esme was kneeling in front of me now and I moved from Garrett's arms to hers when she opened them. "Please don't blame yourself my daughter. It absolutely was not your fault. None of us blame you for what happened Alice. Jasper just needs some time to process it is all. Rosalie and Emmett are going to follow him and make sure he stays safe during this time". I closed my eyes and tried to see their futures.

"Please leave them alone and let them deal with this" Carlisle said. I stared at him shocked.

"I've already missed one death in the family dad. There is no way in hell I am going to miss another. I will be watching out for all of them". Was Emmett at Charlie's house? Before I could look further into that vision, Carlisle's phone rang and he ran outside. He was back in two minutes and I hadn't been able to get a read on any of their futures.

"We need to fake Bella's death. It would have been much easier to have her body, but since we were planning on faking it anyways, we will move ahead with those plans. Alice can you and Garrett still get the body of the girl killed in the car accident?" he asked me. I nodded. I had seen her die two hours ago in Idaho. She had been killed by semi and any identification would be impossible. Charlie would accept it as Bella because she would have Bella's wallet and her truck would be there.

"We will take care of the truck and semi" Esme said. I nodded again. I was beyond words. I didn't want to see how they would do it or anything else. I had missed the death of my sister and I didn't deserve this damn gift anymore. Gift? It was a curse! They told us where to meet them with the body and we took off. I would go see Charlie once he found out. I wanted to be there for him. I owed Bella that much.

**A/N: Thank you all for the great reviews & per your request I gave you another Emmett POV. Don't worry there will be more to come. I'm going to split the chapter's from now on between what is happening with each part of the family. So expect two pov's for just a little while. I don't usually push other people's stories, but Fallen Angel Death has been too kind to me so I think you all should check out her story Sunlit Sky if you get a chance. One last thing, I think I want a Beta for the next few chapter's so if you're interested, please PM me and let me know. Thanks for reading & reviewing!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Thank you so very much for all the wonderful reviews! You rock! I'm sorry if I wasn't able to respond to them all, but I do read each and every one. Thank you to Fallen Angel Death for being my beta for this chapter & all the kind, encouraging words. It means so much to me Now on with the chapter.

**Bella**

The pain was like nothing I had ever experienced. I felt like I was on fire. I just wanted the burning to stop. I focused on my love for Jasper and my new family in order to escape the pain. I knew if he had felt even an ounce of my pain that he would suffer with me while I burned. I could at least give him the peace of mind that I was happy while this happened. I also focused on all the human memories that I wanted to bring with me. I didn't want to forget my human life. I had so many memories that focusing on them kept me busy as I burned. I choose to block out most of Edward's attack on me. I didn't want to remember that for an eternity. I only tried to remember Alice saying Jasper had mated and everything after that. I was surrounded by the people I loved and they loved me and that's why I was doing this. That was why I allowed myself to burn quietly instead of screaming out for them to kill me.

Jasper and Esme had sat with me for what seemed like days. Days was it only days? It felt like an eternity. They both took turns reassuring me of their love and that everything would be okay. When Jasper left to go plan what to do about Edward, Esme had quietly whispered to me. It was so soothing to have her there with me. I wouldn't have made it through this without her or Jasper or any of them for that matter. One time she left me alone but promised to return quickly. She kept that promise and I felt her cool hands on me as she bathed and dressed me. The feel of her hands was a blessing against my burning skin. When she lifted me into her arms, and carried me to Jasper, I was confused. Why was she moving me? Did they not want me in the house? I calmed down the second I heard Jasper's voice. He explained everything to me and then I felt the pain rip through me before I could stop it. I screamed Charlie's name and as soon as I had realized this, I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and focused on Jasper's love for me.

Emmett's cool hand was gripping mine as he promised me again that he would take care of Charlie for me. Rosalie was the next one I felt as she hugged me and promised to see me soon. I listened to her as she said she loved me and it made me so happy. I was so glad she finally accepted me. I listened as Carlisle and Esme both took their turns with their goodbyes to us. It sounded as if Esme was having the hardest time saying goodbye to us. I yearned to reach out and hold her but I was in too much pain. She told us to take care of each other and then I could feel the wind whipping past me as Jasper ran. It felt great! Yet another blessing. The wind took my mind off of the constant burning fire. I hoped we would run for the rest of my change, but eventually we met up with Rose and Emmett. To my disappointment Jasper settled me into the seat of the car next to him and once more my mind was only on how much the fire burned. The car ride was horribly bumpy and my body screamed out from the pain as I was tossed around. I wanted to scream out again but stopped myself as I saw Jasper's face flash through my memories. I wouldn't make him suffer with me. I refused to do that to him after all he had done for me.

We drove for a very long time and I kept busy by focusing on my memories of my human life and listening to the conversation when the three of them would talk to each other. They were quiet for the most part. At one point I did hear Jasper ask Emmett what he had promised me.

"I promised her that Charlie would know she will always be loved and safe after her change started" Emmett simply stated.

"What did you tell him? Was he okay?" Jasper demanded.

"I'll tell you what I told him when I tell her Jazz. I want her to be awake for this talk, not feeling the pain of the change. He will be okay in time". I was happy Emmett was waiting for me before he told Jasper anything. I needed to hear it when I could focus more on his words. I went back to saving my human memories and the next thing I was aware of was Jasper lifting me out of the jeep.

"We're here darlin'. I'm going to carry you up to our room and try to make you as comfortable as possible". I felt the wind whip past me as he ran into the house and I felt the soft bed beneath me. Jasper laid down next to me and held me for the rest of my change. He talked to me and sometimes I tried to pay attention. I could feel the moment that my heart started to pick up and the fire had left every part of my body except for my heart. My heart felt like it was truly on fire and it was beating out of control. I felt Jasper move away from me and softly call, "Rose, Em you can come now. She will be awake soon". "Great! I can't wait any longer for my new sis!" Emmett exclaimed from downstairs and Rose laughed. From downstairs? I knew about the sensitive vampire hearing but could I really hear them from downstairs? I heard the moment they started moving and then they entered the room.

"Her heart is really racing now. It won't be too much longer" Rosalie said from my left side. I put all my hope on her words. I wanted this to be over with and I felt like it never would. Somehow my heart picked up it's pace to beat even faster and then 560 beats later, it gave out. I was done burning at last.

I felt something warm grab my hand and it surprised me. My eyes fluttered open and I looked at the hand that held mine. I flinched and jumped up. I took a defensive position against the wall before I even finished deciding to do it. I looked up and saw Jasper looking at me with so much love and concern. He was beautiful, no he was more than beautiful, he was absolutely breath-taking. I took in the scars that were all over his face and arms and I ached for him. He had suffered so much and it wasn't fair.

"Darlin, I'm sorry I startled you, but can you please tell me why you are feeling sorrow for me?" he asked as he moved a step towards me.

"Your scars they" I stopped when I heard my bell like voice. It confused me at how much I didn't sound like myself. I knew I wouldn't and I had to push past that so I kept talking in the hopes that the more I talked, the faster I would get used to it. "I never really saw them before and I can see how much you've suffered at the hands of others. It makes me sad to know so many have hurt you" I finished.

Jasper's answering smile was huge and I wanted to kiss him and touch him. That surprised me as well. I had been as prepared as I possibly could by the Cullen's and I knew that newborn vampires were supposed to be crazed and only after blood. Yet I didn't want blood right then. I only wanted Jasper. I stepped forward and reached my hand towards his face, "You're so beautiful" I said.

"No darlin', you are. And please don't feel bad for me about my scars. Nothing in the world will ever hurt me again as long as I have you" he said and he bent his head down to kiss me. The electricity that flowed through my body the moment his lips touched mine was my undoing. I molded my body to his and ran my fingers through his curly hair. I could hear him purring with contentment as he responded by deepening the kiss and pressing even closer against me.

"Ugh see Rose, this is why I had to have the talk with her. They are both too lust filled to think rationally" Emmett said and I pulled away from Jasper and looked at my brother.

"Why can't you ever just mind your own damn business?" I asked him and Rosalie laughed as she slowly walked forward to hug me.

"Bella, I am so glad you finally woke up!" she squealed as we hugged.

"How long was I out for?" I asked. It seemed like an eternity had passed.

"3 days" Emmett told me as he rushed forward to hug me. I immediately went back into my defensive pose when I saw him rushing at me. A low growl was emanating from deep within my body and it shocked me. I realized I over reacted and he just wanted a hug, so I straightened myself up and apologized.

"Bella you have nothing to be sorry for. It is our natural instinct to protect ourselves from anything we see as a threat. Emmett knows better than to rush forward at a newborn like that and he should be apologizing to you" Jasper said narrowing his eyes at Emmett slightly.

"Jasper's right and I am sorry for seeming like a threat to you. I get carried away as you already know" Emmett said as he slowly stepped forward and waited for me to hug him. I did so as gently as I could. I knew newborns were super strong and I didn't want to hurt him.

"It's okay Em. I love you for your impulsiveness. Now tell me about Charlie" I said. Before Emmett could answer me, Jasper asked me, "Bella aren't you thirsty?" I hadn't noticed before he said something but now that he did, I could feel the burn in my throat. I was confused on what to do. I really wanted to hear about Charlie, but the burn in my throat was starting to overwhelm me.

"Bella, why don't we go hunting and then Emmett can fill you in about Charlie?" Jasper asked as he sensed my confusion. I smiled at him gratefully and nodded. I realized I didn't even know what I was wearing so I looked down and was so thankful it was Esme who had dressed me! She put me in a dark pair of blue jeans, a plain pink tee, and white sneakers.

"Of course we will get you some more clothes Bella and I did already buy you a few outfits" Rosalie told me as she saw me appraising my outfit. I was worried then, I saw how Rose liked to dress. She laughed, "Bella I know you like casual, comfortable clothes and that's what I picked out. I promise".

"Thank you Rose" I answered. My bell like voice still threw me off and I tried to get over that.

Jasper grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the window. The window? Was he out of his mind?

He must have sensed my fear because he turned to me and said, "Trust me Bella. You will be fine. I'll go first and I promise I will catch you if you want me to".

"Let me see you do it first and then I'll see" I told him. He kissed my cheek and jumped gracefully out the window. I watched how he jumped and landed and decided I would try it for myself. It looked like fun! I stepped on the window sill and jumped. I calculated that it only took me a second to fall and I had plenty of time to place my feet just right. I landed and looked up at him, "Did I do it right?"

He laughed and pulled me in for a hug, "You did it better than right darlin'. You did it beautifully". I heard Rose and Emmett jump after us and Jasper grabbed my hand and we started running. It was difficult to take in all the scenery in my new eyes, but my mind adjusted fast as we ran by. We reached a clearing and Jasper came to a stop.

"What do you smell Bella?" he asked. "Just let your natural instincts take over".

I closed my eyes and sniffed, "There's something to the north, no three somethings. I don't know what they are".

"It's two deer and a buck" Emmett said excitedly. "You'll learn. Let's go!"

We all took off running in the direction of the deer and I let myself give over to my senses. When we reached them I heard Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett stop, but I couldn't stop myself. I sunk into a hunting crouch and pounced on the closest buck. I took him down and snapped his neck as I sunk my teeth into his throat. I drank until I drained him and then I stood up. My attack had scared off the other two and I looked around wildly for them.

"That was great Bella! You didn't even get a drop of blood on your clothes! I made a horrible mess my first time" Emmett exclaimed. I looked down at my clothes and noticed he was right.

"He's right Bella. That was absolutely the most graceful thing I have ever seen you do" Jasper said as he stepped to my side.

I smiled, "I'm graceful? That has to be the first time anyone has ever described me like that".

Rosalie doubled over in laughter and soon Jasper had caught her amusement and passed it on to the rest of us. When we were done laughing Rose asked me if I was still thirsty. I was. They told me to let my senses take over again and this time I smelled four mouth watering somethings to the west. I asked what they were.

"Emmett's favorite, bears" Rose answered.

"Do you think you're ready to take on a bear?" Emmett asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Yes" I answered as I took off running after that delicious scent. I stopped when I reached some sort of hiking trail and a more dominant, more delicious smell invaded my senses. I turned right and started to follow it, until I heard the voices. It was a bunch of hikers. I turned back around and almost ran into Jasper. "I have to get out of here" I said as I ran past him. I headed straight for the bear scent and took down the second to biggest one. I once again broke his neck and drained him of all blood. I felt full, but not quite satisfied after that. The burning in my throat had lessened. I looked around and saw that Jasper and Rosalie had each taken down a bear as well. Emmett had corned the biggest one and was taunting it. He looked like he was having a blast and I laughed. Maybe next time I should play with my food too? No, I knew I never would. I wanted to make their deaths as painless and easy as possible. He finally stopped tormenting the poor thing and took him down. When he was done he looked up with the biggest smile on his face, "That was fun wasn't it Bells? Next time you should play with yours for a little bit. It makes the kill more exciting". Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"Bella how did you run away from those humans back there?" Jasper asked as came up next to me.

"I knew I didn't want to hurt them so I stopped breathing and ran away" I answered honestly.

"You have such amazing control for a newborn. Carlisle will be intrigued when I tell him" Jasper said as he smiled down at me.

When he brought up Carlisle I realized that I missed him, Esme, Alice, and Garrett so much. "How are they? You've talked to them?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yes he called when you were still changing. They are all doing as good as can be expected, well except for Alice".

"What's wrong with Alice?" I asked as I panicked. I hated for Alice to suffer at all and I knew her believing I was dead would be unbearable.

"She's refusing to use her gift. She calls it a curse now and stops any vision she starts to have from coming through. She blames her gift for what happened to you and they can't make her see reason" Jasper answered and I felt the pain that he felt at that.

"Oh no. Poor Alice!" I exclaimed. "We should go back right now!"

"Bella we can't. Alice will understand when the time is right. She will be mad of course, but I know that she will understand we did what we had to" Jasper said as he took my face in his hands. I knew he was right, but I still felt horrible for what we were putting Alice through. We went home then and Jasper took it upon himself to train me in fighting. He said I should at least be able to know how to take care of myself, if the need ever arose.

**Alice**

I spent most of my time in my room by myself. When I wasn't in my room, I was hunting or at Charlie's house. Bella's funeral had been three days after she died and Charlie seemed to be holding himself together well. Renee and Phil had flown in and I spent as much time with her as possible while she was here. I refused to see any more visions during those first few days and now they weren't coming at all. The last one I had was at Bella's funeral. The Volturi were coming in less than a week. They would only be sending Aro and part of their guard, but that was enough to take care of us, if they decided to. Felix and Demetri were their muscle and Jane was their weapon. She could incapacitate a vampire with just the thought of pain. I shuddered at that. I hoped I was never the object of her wrath. I had just gotten home from visiting Charlie and wanted to go straight to my room but Carlisle stopped me.

"Alice can you please come here?" he called from the living room. I walked in and he was sitting there with Esme on the couch and Garrett on the love seat. I sat next to Garrett and held his hand. He rubbed small circles around my palm and smiled at me.

"Alice we need you to see something more definite about the Volturi" Carlisle started and with that I was out of my seat.

"I told you I can't give you anything more definite dad! I'm not seeing anything anymore!" I yelled at him and started pacing.

Esme stood and stepped in front of me, "Alice please?" she begged me, "We need to know what's going to happen. If they are coming here to kill us, we need to be prepared".

I shook my head and started sobbing, "No, you don't understand mom. I've turned my back on my gift and now I can't get it back. I can't see anything! I've tried. I'm such a failure" I wailed as she opened her arms and enveloped me into a hug. She held me as I cried.

"You are not a failure Alice. You are such a gifted person and we have always relied on your special abilities more than we needed. Maybe you just need to relax and take a break from the visions. Maybe that's why they have stopped for now" Carlisle told me. I liked the sound of that. I missed seeing things. Yes I still believed it to be a curse at times, but I had that gift since I was turned and it unsettled me to not have it now when we needed it most.

"I hope so" I said at the same time as Esme. We smiled at each other and I felt better. Esme was such a wonderful person and knew just how to make you feel better.

"Just take a break and stop trying to force it. Your gift will return at the right time" Carlisle encouraged me. I hugged him and sat back down next to Garrett. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I melted against him. I felt the most relaxed I had since before Bella died. I knew everything would be okay and I would stop trying to force myself to see things. Carlisle was right, it would return in time. I just had to believe that.

**A/N: Please don't throw things at me for having a depressed Alice POV. It was essential to the story, so you could see that Alice is not having any visions right now and that's why she hasn't seen Bella. Yes Alice's POV did jump ahead in time a bit, but we're getting close to the Volturi scene so I felt like it needed to. Okay, I'm done rambling. Please review! Much love to you all who do!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So sorry for the delay! I've been reading all of the Twilight books again before going to see Eclipse this week & I couldn't write this story while reading them. It's short, but the next chapter is done & will go up tomorrow to make it up to you! Thanks as always for reading & reviewing! You all are made of awesome sauce! PS~Still looking for a permanent Beta if anyone is interested. Let me know :)**

Jasper

Bella was the most intriguing newborn I ever met. From the moment she first opened her eyes, she exhibited the most control I ever saw a newborn have. Carlisle felt that it was her being prepared that made her different and I had to agree with him. We spent most of our days hunting and training and nights we spent reading. She loved the library at the house and wanted to read every book in it. I knew it was overwhelming to be a newborn and while there were plenty of other things I would much rather be doing at night, I didn't want to rush her. I wanted her to feel safe and secure the first time we made love and I knew being a newborn she didn't have that sense of security. Well I also knew because anytime I deepened our kiss to lead to something more, her emotions went into total fear. I always reassured her that we could wait and she would smile relieved at that. I promised myself that I wouldn't rush her no matter how badly I wanted to make love to her and I wanted it badly. I was a southern gentleman after all and I would never break that promise.

"I don't understand why you two don't just have sex already" Emmett was saying as we hunted. Bella and Rose were doing some online shopping for more clothes while we hunted. Surprisingly, Bella had a bit more confidence in her clothes now and her and Rose shopped like crazy. Just wait until Alice gets wind of this I thought and smiled to myself. Alice would go ballistic when she saw how much Bella enjoyed shopping now.

"Emmett, I'm not going to rush her. You know very well how overwhelming it is to be a newborn. She has too much to process as it is. I'm not going to make it worse by rushing her into sex. When she's ready she will let me know".

"I know your right bro, but all that lust you keep throwing around when you look at her is a lot to take in sometimes" he grinned at me. I smacked him and that started it. I knew he was just itching to take me on in a real wrestling match and he provoked me at every chance he got. He was trying to get me into a headlock and for once I let him. I could get out of it easily enough. I kept it playful though, because we were going home soon and I didn't need either one of us to be healing from any injuries. Plus, Bella and Rose would kill us. The first time Emmett tried to wrestle me when Bella was around, did not end well for him. She launched herself into her hunting position and tackled him to the ground. If Rosalie and I hadn't stepped in, I was sure she would have pulled off one of his limbs or even worse. Of course she felt horribly guilty at attacking him like that but Rose reassured her that Emmett deserved it once in awhile. I was glad to have Rose and Emmett with us and they both showed Bella everything they knew too. She picked it up easily and was a natural at it. Of course, she was a natural at everything.

_I miss you already_ I heard in my head. I was so happy that Bella was finally okay with talking to me like this. We informed her before her change that mates could communicate this way, but the first time I said hi to her in her head, she freaked out. She freaked out the first few times actually. Most of the time now I waited for her to speak to me first. I didn't want to freak her out anymore.

_As I miss you already too darlin' _I thought back.

I wrestled out of Emmett's headlock and sprang after the scent of bear. He smelled it too and raced me. He beat me and took down the biggest bear as always. He always liked the challenge of the biggest bear and we all gave it to him. For Emmett it was personal. He was still pissed about that bear that had gotten him as a human and sought out revenge on any bear he could. It was quite funny to watch sometimes. We hunted for a little while longer and then headed home. I hated to be away from Bella for any length of time and I knew she felt the same way.

I scooped her into my arms and hugged her as soon as I came in the door. I pulled her into my lap as I sat on the couch and kissed her. I heard Emmett grumble something about getting a room and then him and Rose were gone. "How did your shopping go?" I asked her.

_Great! Rose and I picked out some really cute stuff for both of us, but we won't get it before we leave so she's having it delivered to Forks. She says it won't get there before us. _

I laughed, _Alice is going to be so thrilled to see you like to shop now._ I felt her stab of pain as she thought about Alice.

_How mad do you think she will be at me?_

_At you? Not at all darlin'. But she will be pretty pissed off at me for awhile. It's okay though, I'll take her wrath for this._

_I'll make sure that she's not mad at you. _Bella told me as she kissed me again. I could spend all day kissing Bella, but we had to pack for Forks. I insisted on packing the entire library up for her because she loved it so much. She worried that Carlisle and Esme would mind, but I already asked and they both insisted we bring it with us. We weren't entirely sure when we would be back to this house and Esme was set on giving Bella whatever she wanted. We were leaving tomorrow as it was a two day drive. We had planned our arrival so that none of them would know we were there. They would be too busy with the Volturi at that time and we would watch and wait for the right moment to make our presence known.

_I've loved spending all this time with you, Em, and Rose, but I can't wait to get back and see Esme, Alice, Carlisle, and Garrett_ Bella told me excitedly as we packed.

_I'm sure they will be just as happy to see you. You do know that we can't let Jacob or any of the pack know we are there. They will start a war with us over changing you. _

She nodded and I felt her pain at the mention of Jacob's name. It had pained Bella greatly to lose Jacob's friendship when I came back, but she had made it clear to him that she wouldn't be forced to choose between us. He had tried for about a week to convince her that he was the better choice for her and she hadn't budged. She had told him if he couldn't be friends with her while she was friends with me, than he wasn't that good of a friend to begin with and they had parted ways.

_I'm sorry darlin'_ I told her as I kissed her cheek.

_You have nothing to be sorry for. I've told you that a million times. Jake made his choice and I made mine. I am so glad that I made the right choice. _I smiled at her and finished packing. We trained some more and then spent the night reading on the roof while gazing at the stars. In the morning we hunted and then left for Forks. I was anxious to get this whole Edward situation put behind us.

Alice

We were waiting for the Volturi and Edward in the baseball clearing. Why did everything seem to happen in this damn clearing? It felt like we kept having to come here for one bad experience after the next. I was ready for this. I felt like today would be the day my visions came back and I was ready for it. I was still sad about Bella's death and I missed Jasper, Rose, and Emmett terribly but I felt like everything would work itself out. I had to keep believing that for my family.

They approached from the north and stopped about ten feet from us. Aro was in the front and flanked by Felix on the left and Demetri on the right. Jane was on the other side of Demetri and Edward was on Felix's left.

"Why Carlisle my good friend, it is so good to see you" Aro said as he smiled at Carlisle.

Carlisle smiled warmly back, "As it is so good to see you as well Aro".

"Edward has shown me some very interesting things that have been happening in your coven Carlisle" Aro said. It looked like he wasn't going to waste our time and get right to business.

"I'm sure he has, but Aro has he shown you the whole truth?"

"Of course he has, how could he block me? I saw you and your mate had his lovely Bella killed".

Esme hissed, "We did no such thing".

Aro raised his eyebrows, "So young Edward has found a way to lie to me and dragged me here for no reason?"

"Yes. I'm not sure how he has done it, but he's gone quite crazy and he's the one who killed Bella" Esme replied. Her eyes locked on Edward's and if looks could kill, he would have died on the spot. I noticed that his eyes were bright red and I was sure Carlisle was disappointed. How could he go back to drinking human blood?

"Hmm, I do believe one of you is lying to me and I intend to get to the bottom of this right now. Give me your hand beautiful Esme" Aro said as he stepped forward. Carlisle pulled Esme behind him. I knew Carlisle wanted me to be the one to show Aro everything and my visions, but that was still strange that he would feel like he needed to protect Esme.

"Aro, I think you would get the truth clearer from Alice than Esme. Alice can show you not only her memories, but her visions before those things came true". Aro looked in my direction now and his eyes widened in curiosity.

"Of course Carlisle. I remember you telling me about this beautifully talented young lady. Alice, may I?" he asked. I nodded and stepped forward to meet his hand. I stopped as I saw a vision and whispered, "Impossible". I saw Edward lunging for Esme and Bella of all people coming to her rescue. Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett would bound into the field right behind her. How was that possible? Bella was dead!

"What did you see?" Aro asked me excitedly.

I couldn't answer him. For the first time in my existence I was speechless. How was that possible? Unless they all lied to me about Bella being dead? I would kill Jasper for that! I saw all kinds of visions now, ones of the past, the present, and the future. I saw where my brothers and sisters had been for the past few weeks and what they had been doing. Aro ghosted towards me and grabbed my hand so he could see what I was seeing. His eyes were closed and his head was bent forward a little. "How interesting" he muttered when he saw my vision of Edward killing Bella and the actual memory of Edward trying to kill her. Edward must have been back to reading thoughts now because he hissed when the vision of Bella being alive and Aro deciding to have him killed flashed through my head. It took a few minutes, but finally Aro was done with my memories and the visions had stopped. He released my hand and turned to Edward.

"Well, well, well young Edward, it looks like my suspicions about you hiding things from me were true". Esme was smiling in relief as she stepped around Carlisle to see Aro better and Edward lunged for her.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm sorry for the cliff hanger last time & thank you for not throwing things at me! Here's the next chapter. It hasn't been looked over by anyone but me, so I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I rushed to get it out because I had to change it for the rest of the story to work and ended up re writing the whole thing. That may mean mistakes so I am so sorry! Thank you as always for reading and reviewing. It means the world to me! I always do a little happy dance when I read your kind words, even if I don't have time to respond to them all. *Hugs***

**Emmett**

I saw the second that Carlisle recognized we were close. He smelled our scents and ever so slightly shifted his position. This was our signal that things were going according to plan. Jasper and he had made this change in our plans at the last minute. Carlisle said he wanted to know when we arrived so we agreed to go close enough for him to smell us. I'm sure the rest of the Volturi had as well but only Carlisle showed any sign of acknowledgment. Aro hand his head bent over Alice and his hands were clasped tightly on hers. He must have been pulling all her memories and visions out of her head. Jasper was responsible for monitoring all their emotions and he stiffened when Esme smiled. "Edward's emotions just switched from nothing to pure rage. Let's go". We started running and right then Edward was perched on Esme's back ready to rip off her head. We all growled at the same time and Bella pushed herself even faster. She was very fast! She reached Esme and Edward and tackled him off of Esme. I was so proud! Rose and I had shown her how to do that in case she ever needed to help one of us. They rolled about 5 feet from where Esme now stood with Carlisle crouching in front of her. The venom was dripping off of his chin as he growled at Edward. Why the hell had Edward decided to attack Esme of all people? She was the most gentle vampire in this clearing and she was my mom damn it! He really pissed me off picking on her like. Yup, he had seriously lost his mind.

Bella sprang to her feet first and was crouching and growling at Edward. Jasper had stopped right by her side now and the most ferocious growl was erupting from his body. They truly were soulmates! Bella matched him growl for growl and they held the same position. They were equals. There was no distinguishing who was the more dominant mate, it was like she was made for him. The war God and Goddess side by side I thought. I wanted to fight Jasper more now than I ever had. But right now it was time to focus.

Rose and I were both behind them ready to back them up. The Volturi were standing there calm as can be and that creep Aro had the most delighted look on his face. Before he could speak though Alice was shrieking at us.

"What the hell is this Jasper? Esme! Carlisle! How could you lie to me like that? Jasper you will pay for this!". I heard Garrett telling her to wait for later to ask her questions. She nodded and sunk against chest.

Aro laughed, "You Cullens are quite the fascinating bunch. Felix and Demetri please grab young Edward and bring him to me". They quickly had Edward in front of him. We all relaxed as soon as Demetri had wrapped his arms around Edward. Aro grabbed Edward's hands and closed his eyes. "All I see from you are horrible memories of Carlisle and Esme and your family. You show me that they have treated you badly, yet Alice has shown me nothing of the sort. I want to know how you are doing that" he demanded.

Edward smiled angelically, "Did you ever think that maybe Alice is the one lying to you?".

"No she's not Edward" Aro snapped at him, "I can see some of your memories of the visions she has had in the past that you've seen with your gift and they are the same as hers. You're trying to fool me and I will not stand for it. I knew that Carlisle had not turned into the monster you depicted". Aro reached forward and grabbed Edward's hand. After a few minutes he released it and stepped away from Edward in disgust. "Well I see now how you are doing that. It would appear young Edward has learned that with taking in everyone's thoughts, he can project what he wants into other people's minds. I'm surprised he never used it against any of you".

Edward hissed at him, "It was none of their business what else I could do. It's my gift and I'll see fit how to use it".

Aro smiled at him and turned to Carlisle, "I'll be taking Edward to Italy with me. He will be punished for wasting our time here. I knew my friend that you hadn't turned into a monster, but I needed to find out how he was doing that. I do hope you will forgive me for using you and your family".

Carlisle stepped towards him and shook his hand, "Of course we forgive you Aro. It makes me happy that you never believed those things he showed you about my family. I never knew his gift worked like that. Please don't make his punishment too harsh".

"Always so compassionate my friend, even after the boy tried to harm your wife and family. You truly are unique Carlisle. Please come visit us soon so we may catch up". With that he shook Carlisle's hand and they disappeared carrying Edward with them. That was so not the fight I was looking forward to. Hardly any drama at all, but I really didn't have time to sulk about it because it looked like the drama would be really starting now. Alice was glaring daggers at Jasper.

**Jasper**

I was so proud of Bella for tackling Edward like that. It was sexy to see her taking control. It made me want her even more, I reminded myself that now was not the time for those feelings. Once the Volturi left with Edward, I was relieved. I finally relaxed and let myself test everyone else's emotions for the first time since we arrived in that field. Carlisle was still radiating some anger towards Edward but mostly he was calm. Garrett was the calmest one out of all of my family. It seemed like nothing ever phased him. Rose, Emmett, and even Esme were all disappointed in the way things ended. I was surprised by feeling that from Esme. Her feelings towards Edward must have changed once he tried to hurt her. Bella was extremely happy and I thought it had to do with seeing our family again. And then there was Alice. The anger and hurt that she was sending my way was almost crippling. I sighed and turned to her, "I know your angry with me Alice so let me hear it already".

She glared at me and then turned away, "I'm not ready to deal with you yet Jazz. I'll get to you". With that she hurled herself towards Bella and grabbed her in a hug, "Bella! I'm so happy you're really alive" she squealed in delight. I felt Bella's intense guilt as she hugged Alice back. I sent her a wave of calm and she smiled gratefully at me over Alice's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Alice" she started to say but Alice interrupted her with another glare towards me, "You had nothing to do with the plan Bella so don't you dare start apologizing for him".

Carlisle stepped forward, "Alice you know you mustn't blame Jasper. We all agreed to go along with his plan".

"Exactly dad, his plan" she sneered at me again. I was slightly amused. I had never seen Alice this angry before and certainly never at me. It was entertaining. "No Bella I will not promise to not be mad at him" Alice answered Bella's unasked question as she held up her hand to keep Bella from speaking.

Esme grabbed Bella into a fierce hug and it relieved me to see that Bella's defenses were easing up some. I knew she would have felt even more guilt at being defensive against Esme than she had at me or Emmett. "I've missed you so much my daughter" Esme told her when they finally pulled apart. "I've missed you too mom" Bella smiled at her. Esme had grabbed us each in a hug after that and demanded that we fill her in on everything we had done in the past few weeks. Carlisle was looking at Bella curiously, no doubt trying to figure out the mystery that Bella as a newborn was.

Alice was appraising Bella's clothes appreciatively when she demanded, "When do we get to go shopping together Bella?" her eyes were lit up in anticipation.

Rose answered, "You guys can go shopping as fast as you can get to a computer Alice".

Alice nodded, "Yes, I almost forgot that Bella hasn't been out in public yet and probably shouldn't for a little while. Rose I'm so glad you didn't take her on her first shopping trip as one of us without me".

Rose laughed, "I didn't want you to be mad at me Alice. I figured you would have my head if I had taken her shopping before you got to".

Alice laughed delighted, "Oh Rose! You know me so well. We can all go shopping together for her first time. Esme too! Oh we will make a girl's day out of it and have so much fun! Let me see when" she closed her eyes as she focused on when she could actually take Bella shopping. Her eyes opened and she grinned excitedly but wouldn't tell any of us when that would be. I knew Alice had bought Bella tons of clothes before her change, plus all of what Rose and Bella had bought while online shopping, so I couldn't imagine that they would need to shop at all for the next year or so. And that was if Bella wore each outfit only once and changed at least twice a day, as was customary with Alice around. Knowing Alice though, she had probably donated everything that she had bought for Bella when she thought Bella was dead. She wouldn't want those reminders around. I just hoped she had kept whatever it was that her and Garrett had picked up for Bella from Charlie's house that night. It truly would be nice for Bella to have some reminders around of her human life. I would ask Garrett about that later. It didn't look like Alice would be speaking to me for at least a decade.

"Let's go home" Esme said as she grabbed Bella's hand. Bella smiled at that and started running with her. We all sat in the living room so we could talk and catch up. Esme pulled Bella next to her on the couch and Alice claimed her other side. I sighed as I went to sit by Garrett on the loveseat. Emmett was smirking at that. I looked up when I felt eyes glaring at me and met Alice's steely gaze. I smiled at her and her eyes narrowed. Then she turned to Carlisle, "The Volturi will not keep Edward for long. Aro has decided to not kill him, he sees it as a waste. He's trying to convince Edward to stay with them. His gift can be very useful to Aro. He would love the ability to project what he wants into other's minds. Saying he would punish Edward was just a ruse. He was trying to placate us, so that he could keep him. Edward has not decided what to do yet, but I will be watching him".

Carlisle stared at Alice in amazement, "How did you get so much from one vision?"

"I don't know. Once my vision came back, it seemed like it was stronger somehow. I've seen so much more than I ever have before. It's nice to not have so many holes".

Carlisle's eyebrows were furrowed together in deep concentration. I recognized that look, it was the look he always got when something fascinated him. "Fascinating" he muttered to himself. He stayed quiet for along moment and we all knew we had lost his concentration for the moment. Alice turned to Emmett and grinned.

"Nice job with Charlie. What a great way to protect our secret without having to really lie to him".

That snapped Carlisle out of his silent reverie, "You saw that Alice? When?"

"Today, when my vision came back. I saw past, present, and future visions".

"Fascinating" Carlisle murmured again.

Garrett spoke up next to me, "Alice, how long do you think we have before Edward leaves the Volturi?"

"At least a month. He's going to stay there as long as possible while formulating his plans". A month before he would be free to head straight to Forks. I had a month to make Bella as happy as I could before we would have to start making plans to take care of him ourselves. I looked at her and smiled as I caught her looking at me. Her look almost mirrored my own, but before I could speak out loud or in my mind to her, Alice was finally talking to me.

"Jasper, may I please speak to you alone?" her gaze was as unreadable as before, but her emotions were quite focused. She was determined and angry. There was no way I could refuse her.

"Of course" I answered and I couldn't hide my amusement as I felt Bella's jealousy that I would be alone with Alice. Why would Bella be jealous? Alice and I were just friends and I knew she understood that. _I love you darlin'. You have nothing to worry about_. I thought to Bella as I followed Alice out of the house. She was finally comfortable with letting me speak to her first that way. _I know_ she sighed _but can you blame me?_

No I suppose I really couldn't. Alice waited to face me until we were far enough from the house and the vampire sensitive hearing.

"Jazz, I will forgive you but I am not ready to do that just yet".

"Take as much time as you need Alice. I know I hurt you deeply and made you upset for no reason and I am sorry about that, but it had to be done".

She nodded, "Thank you for understanding. Now, what I have to say next is for Bella's benefit and not yours. This is the only reason I am speaking to you about this. Bella needs to see Charlie and Charlie needs to see Bella. Now before you go telling me no, I have seen it and she will be fine. She won't hurt Charlie and they both really need this. It's what is holding her back from being" she paused as she thought how to word her next phrase, "intimate with you. She doesn't know how to move on in this world fully until she can see how her old world is doing without her".

"You got all this from a vision?" I asked incredulously. This was more than Alice had ever said about a vision of hers. I pondered what could have caused her gift to intensify like that, but I couldn't put my finger on any one thing.

"Multiple visions" she corrected me. "We need to get Charlie over here tomorrow Jasper".

"Are you sure? What exactly is the rush?"

She smiled, "I'm absolutely positive. I've already told you that she needs to move on and fully embrace our world and this is the way to do it. Emmett's reassurances that Charlie took the news good isn't enough for her". I nodded thoughtfully at this.

"Well we need to go discuss this with everyone and call Charlie then" I said. Alice grinned at me before she could stop herself.

"Ugh, I already forgive you. Damn. I wanted to be mad for just a little longer" she sighed and I laughed at her forlorn expression. I hugged her, "You can still act mad if you want. No one has to know the truth yet except for Bella. She's worried enough that you're never going to forgive me".

"I like that" she smiled and punched me in the arm as she started running towards home.

"Are you absolutely sure I won't hurt Charlie?" Bella asked Alice for the thousandth time.

"Bella you worry too much. I always thought that was a human trait of yours that would go away but now I see we're stuck with it. You won't hurt Charlie. I promise you that. We would never allow this to happen if there was a chance that you would" Alice reassured her again. She pressed the contact lens box into Bella's hands and waited for Bella to voice another concern. She didn't as she slipped the contacts in. She was nervous, but hopeful. Ever since yesterday when Alice told her that she would get to see Charlie today, Bella's was nervous. We went hunting alone this morning in preparation for Charlie's visit. She worried the whole time and I kept pushing calming waves at her. She would smile gratefully and relax for a little bit, but the nervousness always came back. Rose and Esme were giving her a lesson on how to look more human when we heard Charlie's cruiser turn off the highway.

_You have more control than any newborn I have ever met Bella. Please don't worry, you will be fine_. I hoped my silent message had helped her in some way. She never responded to it. I held her hand as Charlie knocked on the door.

"Hello Charlie" Carlisle greeted him warmly as he opened the door and stepped back for Charlie to enter. Esme was standing right behind him in the doorway.

"Hello Carlisle, Esme" Charlie greeted them both just as warmly.

"Please come in and welcome to our home" Esme said. Charlie nodded once and stepped through the door. I pushed a calm wave of energy at him as he took in the various vampires lounging around the room and his eyes settled on Bella. The only emotion that radiated from him was relief. Why was he relived? Did he think Emmett had lied to him about saving Bella? That was the only thing that made sense to me.

"Bells" he whispered as he moved across the room and sat next to her.

"Dad" she answered and they hugged. I saw Charlie shiver but he never commented on her cold skin. He really would keep our secret and without asking any questions it seemed. I finally let myself relax as I took in the relaxed state of his emotions.

"Hey Charlie" Emmett grinned at him from the loveseat where he had his arm wrapped around Rosalie.

"Hey Emmett, Rosalie" Charlie smiled at them. He greeted Alice and Garrett and turned his attention to the tv. Emmett had thoughtfully turned on some game. I wasn't paying much attention to anything but Bella's emotions now. She was completely happy and that made me euphoric. She wasn't thirsty at all, well at least she wasn't projecting any thirst in her emotions. Alice was right of course. Bella could handle this. Charlie lounged around with us for most of the afternoon. As he was getting ready to leave Alice's eyes gazed over and I knew she was having a vision. She smiled hugely as she said, "Charlie, are you going fishing tomorrow?"

"It depends on the weather. Why?"

"Well it's supposed to be overcast all day but not raining so I was thinking that maybe Emmett and you could finally fish together". I looked at Emmett and he was grinning the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face.

"Are you trying to get rid of me shortie?" he asked with mock accusation in his voice.

Alice stuck her tongue out at him, "Yes. Maybe all of you guys could go so we can have a girls day of shopping".

"That does sound like a good idea" Charlie agreed. "Carlisle, Garrett, Jasper would you like to join us?"

We all answered yes because Alice was glaring at us behind Charlie's back.

"Yay" she said and hugged Charlie goodbye. Bella walked him to his car and Rosalie asked what was on all of our minds, "What was that about Alice?"

"Jasper and Bella need some time alone. They've barely been by themselves since she was changed. Carlisle can tell Charlie that Jasper had to cancel at the last minute and us girls can really go shopping".

"Why did you have to include Charlie though?" Emmett asked confused.

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes at him, "Because you want to go fishing with him anyways and tomorrow is the perfect day for it". Emmett's grin only got bigger as he remembered how much he wanted to fish with Charlie. Bella came back into the house then and Alice flitted to her side.

"Let's go" she said in an excited rush. "We have some shopping to do now that we know just how controlled you really are. Plus Emmett has something he wants to discuss with Jasper. Rosalie, Esme" she called as she pulled Bella out the door and into Carlisle's car. They both followed without a word with huge smiles on their faces. I suddenly remembered Alice's previous vision of Emmett wanting to talk to me about not hurting Bella, once we were more serious. I sighed as I knew this was unavoidable. A determined Emmett was a very dangerous thing indeed. I was sure as I saw the look that came over his face that we would definitely end up breaking Esme's coffee table as Alice said. Carlisle and Garrett were both grinning as they took their seats to be an audience to what was sure to be a train wreck.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I hope this lives up to all of your expectations for a funny Emmett/Jasper talk **** Thank you as always for your wonderful reviews & for reading of course! Big shout out to Jacqulyn for being a wonderful beta on this one.**

**Garrett**

I know I hadn't been in the family for very long, nor did I know Jasper or Emmett that well; but I was looking forward to hearing this talk Emmett was going to give Jasper. It was bound to be hilarious from what I'd seen of their relationship. I gladly took my seat by Carlisle on the couch and waited. Carlisle looked like he was anticipating this as much as me.

Emmett stood across the coffee table from us with his arms crossed, staring Jasper down, who was sitting on the loveseat. "Listen Jazz, I don't want this to come to a fight or anything so please just listen to what I have to say with an open mind?" He waited for Jasper to say something, but all Jasper did was nod once and press his lips together as if to keep from laughing. Maybe he felt mine and Carlisle's amusement? I tried to rein it in to help him out but it was so hard.

"Okay, look I know you love Bella and you're her mate and all and that you won't ever hurt her but we need to have this talk. I swear that if you ever cause her any pain, whether intentionally or not, I will hurt you" Emmett finished by flashing Jasper the dirtiest look he could manage. That undid both mine and Carlisle's self control. We were laughing so hard that Jasper couldn't resist our amusement anymore and he was laughing with us. Emmett started scowling at him. Apparently he was so determined to get his point across that the amusement rolling off of Jasper with his gift, wasn't going to affect him at all. He waited two minutes for Jasper to gain control of himself, but he still didn't.

"Damn it Jazz! I'm being serious here!" he yelled. That just made everyone laugh harder. Emmett being mad wasn't something that happened very often and it was too funny to watch. He scowled at all of us for a few more minutes and then decided he had enough, "I swear Jasper if you don't start taking me seriously, I will make your emotional life a living hell" with that he stomped his foot and Jasper fell off the loveseat from laughing. I peeked at Carlisle from my peripheral vision and he wasn't fairing much better than either Jasper or I. The next thing I knew Emmett was lunging at Jasper on the floor, before I had time to react though Jasper had him in a headlock and they both crashed into and broke Esme's coffee table. Good thing Alice had warned her of that. Jasper was now picking up on Emmett's anger and sending it throughout the room. Carlisle who I knew to be the most controlled vampire in the family, leapt up and started yelling at them both, "Now look what you've done! Esme is going to kill you both for this! That's one of her favorite pieces of furniture!" He turned on me then and snarled, "What the hell are you laughing for?" Carlisle swore? Whoa, never thought I would see that.

I also picked up on the anger in the room and was shouting back before I could stop myself, "Because this whole conversation is absurd! Jasper will never hurt Bella and Emmett knows that! He's taking this whole protective big brother thing out of hand" I finished in a grumble. That set Emmett off again but this time he was after me. He picked up a board from the broken wood and threw it at my head while yelling, "SHUT UP! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!"

I picked up the closest thing to me, which happened to be a throw pillow, and whipped it at his head. It bounced off into Jasper's waiting hands and then he was beating Emmett with it. That was all it took for both mine and Carlisle's laughter to return. Watching a skilled immortal fighter like Jasper beating up a vampire of immense strength like Emmett with a pillow was hilarious. We both collapsed into the couch while laughing and the damn thing broke under the weight of us! Esme was going to kill us all for sure. Carlisle must have realized that, but he kept watching Jasper and Emmett and couldn't seem to stop laughing. They were both so angry and it kept intensifying with Jasper's gift. Emmett had somehow wrangled a pillow of his own and was hitting Jasper back. Feathers were flying everywhere as both of their stone bodies and vampire strength broke them in seconds. Jasper's hair looked like a chicken had nested there and that made me laugh harder. Boards from the broken coffee table were soon flying back and forth between the two as they dodged each one that the other threw. Emmett lunged for Jasper, who moved at the last second, and ended crashing into and breaking the loveseat. Carlisle finally seemed to be able to control himself then.

"That's enough" he said in a soft but firm voice. "If you insist on beating up on each other then, let's move this outside before we break all of Esme's furniture". An idea seemed to strike him then as he took off for his study and said, "I'll be right back". I could still feel anger in the room which meant these two weren't nearly done yet. Carlisle came flying back downstairs with a huge box and ordered us to follow him outside.

He flitted down to the river and opened the box before speaking again, "I wondered what Alice was thinking when she gave me these and told me they would come in handy when the furniture started to break, and now I think I get it" he smiled as he pulled out four massive padded bats. They looked like the kind they always show on tv at psychiatrist's offices. The doctor always gives them to feuding families or couples and lets them take their anger out on each other. It always seemed to help the patients get over their anger and I was smiling at the thought of watching them hit the hell out of each other with them. Alice must have had these special ordered because they were at least five times the size of the ones on the tv shows. My mate truly was something else.

"Cool!" Emmett exclaimed as Carlisle tossed us each one and kept one for himself. Emmett laughed then, "You know dad, I honestly can't see you letting go of yourself enough to use one on any of us". Thwack! Carlisle hit Emmett square in the chest. Jasper and I laughed uncontrollably and soon Emmett was stalking towards me with his bat ready for a hit. Sweet, bring it on big guy I thought and before I knew what happened I was hit in the back of the head from Jasper. I turned and got him on the shoulder before he could dart away. This was going to be fun!

**Bella**

We drove far away from Forks so we could shop without my being seen by anyone we knew. I was supposed to be dead after all, how would it look if we stumbled across someone like Jessica Stanley in town? It was nice to get out of the house with the women in my family. The car ride there was mildly uncomfortable as Alice took it upon herself to educate my knowledge of vampire sex. I was totally embarrassed to be having this conversation in front of Esme, but relaxed when she patted my hand and gave some advice as well. Emmett truly had left a lot out of his talk and I was more grateful than ever about that.

"You made your decision Bella so don't be afraid now" Alice said from the driver's seat. I was sitting behind Rose with Esme next to me. We just started this talk and already I couldn't wait for it to be over.

"Oh Alice I wish you wouldn't look at visions like those" I muttered.

She smirked, "It's not like I have control over what I see, but don't worry I stop looking as soon as I see what kind of vision that turns into".

I was beyond mortified at that point and just listened as they told me what to expect. I knew our bodies healed themselves but I never thought that applied to a virgin vampire because I honestly never had reason to think that way. Rose explained quietly the only way to stop that from healing itself was to use vampire venom. If I had still been human I would have flushed bright red from the thoughts that were now consuming my mind. I knew what that meant in terms of what Jasper would need to do and I couldn't wait for it to happen now. I was ready to truly be his mate in every way and tomorrow seemed like forever away. I was grateful to Alice for arranging this shopping trip so we could have this talk, no matter how embarrassed I was. It was better to be prepared than not knowing what to expect at all.

We barely made it to the store when Alice suddenly pulled over and jumped out yelling at Rosalie to take the wheel. She was in Rose's spot and telling her to turn the car around in a flash as her high pealing laughter filled the car.

"What the hell is going on Alice?" Rosalie demanded as she sped towards home. Alice was not one to miss a shopping trip so she must have had good reason.

Alice couldn't speak for a minute as her eyes were concentrating on whatever vision was making her laugh. Finally she calmed down enough to explain, "Emmett just lunged at Jasper because he was laughing during Em's serious talk and they broke Esme's coffee table as I knew they would".

"That hardly seems like a reason to be laughing so hard or making us rush home Alice" Esme scolded but she was smiling. I thought differently than Esme. It would be a perfect excuse to rush home if we could catch the boys in their fight.

"There's more" Alice said smugly, "They both got overly angry at each other, which I'm guessing is due to Jasper's gift. Even Carlisle and Garrett got angry and they were all shouting at each other when Emmett whipped a piece of wood from the table at Garrett's head-" she broke off into laughter again and we all joined her this time. I only wish I could have been there to see this! Then again it was probably best that I wasn't. I may be one of the most well controlled newborns in some ways but when it came to Jasper, I was totally out of control. I probably would have tried to hurt Emmett if I had seen him lunging at Jasper like that.

"Now what's going on?" Rosalie asked excitedly. The car was going as fast as she could push it and we would be nearing Forks soon.

Alice focused and broke off into another peal of laughter, "Garrett threw a pillow at Emmett's head and now Jazz is beating him with it. Wait! Emmett got his own pillow and is striking back. Oh I wish you guys could see this! Two male vampires having a pillow fight is truly something to see! It looks like a chicken nested in Jasper's hair now. Sorry mom" she finished.

"As long as nothing else gets broken, I'm okay" Esme smiled.

Alice turned to look worriedly at her now. "What broke?" Esme asked calmly.

"The couch" Alice answered as she tried not to laugh, "Oh and now the loveseat".

Esme's eyes narrowed, "HOW?" she demanded.

"Carlisle and Garrett fell onto the couch while laughing from watching the pillow fight and it broke".

I couldn't help but giggle as I saw that picture in my head. Rosalie snickered as well but Esme ignored us. "And the loveseat?" she demanded of Alice. We were almost home now and Rose slowed down considerably. She was probably trying to give Esme enough time to regain control of herself before we got there.

"Jasper moved away from Emmett's lunge at the last second and he went crashing into the loveseat and it broke". Esme had her closed and looked like she was trying very hard to not be angry.

"Don't worry mom, dad finally regained enough control after that to move them outside. Just wait to see you see what they are doing out there. Step on it Rose!" Alice exclaimed excitedly. "They are so focused on what they're doing to each other, they won't notice us if we are super quiet and we can watch for a little bit". We were halfway up the drive when Alice told us to ditch the car there and get a move on. We all ran as quietly as we could, which for vampires was pretty easy and came upon one of the funniest things I have ever seen. They each had a huge padded bat and were smacking the hell out of each other. I could feel the anger that was radiating off of them but I was too amused to feel it myself. Emmett seemed to be taking most of the hits, and I had to assume it was because he started all of this. They would take turns singeling him out one by or one or ganging up on him two or all three at a time. It looked as though Carlisle was getting off the easiest and I believed they would all have a hard time hitting him, even if it was with a big padded bat.

We sat there watching for almost five minutes before any of them realized we were there. They all were ganging up on Emmett. Carlisle and Jasper from the left and right; Garrett from the front. Emmett was backing into the trees and they all quickened their pace to strike at the same time.

"DAMN IT" Emmett boomed as all 3 bats made contact with him. I couldn't help but snicker at that along with Rosalie, Alice, and Esme. The guys all turned to face us and Emmett took advantage. He smacked them all and then took off running towards us. Esme tried to yell at him for his language but she was laughing too hard.

"Don't try and hide behind me Em" Rosalie told him as she stepped away, "I'm having too much fun watching this". She grinned hugely at him when he started to pout and he instantly snapped out of his sulking.

"I'd do anything to see that smile Rose" he said and kissed her. Emmett was very sweet when he wanted to be.

_Hey darlin. Want to take a whack at Emmett? _Jasper thought as he grinned conspiratorially at me.

_Definitely. _I answered as I flitted to his side and grabbed his bat. I made my attack from behind as Emmett was too busy kissing his wife to hear my approach.

Thwack! I hit him across the back.

"Oh hell no!" he shouted when he turned around and saw me giving Jasper his bat back. He took off running for me at full speed until Rose reprimanded him, "I know you won't hurt my sister Emmett. It's wrong to hit a woman and you know it". He stopped dead in his tracks and went back to Rosalie with a wicked grin on his face.

"You do it then Rose. She did hit your very loving and wonderful husband. How would it look if you didn't defend my honor?" Rose rolled her eyes but grabbed the bat anyways. Suddenly Garrett and Carlisle were passing their bats off to Alice and Esme. It looked like we would get to have some fun now. I shuddered to think of actually hitting any of them, but especially not Esme. How could any of us hit her? Alice deftly outmaneuvered any hit that came her way until I realized it would have to be a last second decision. I took her right side and stalked Rosalie with her. Rose deserved about five hits from me by now and I would get my revenge, but Alice deserved about twenty so she was top priority. I turned on her at the last second and blind sided her.

She growled in response and turned to face me. Rose and Esme must have realized they needed to do a last second offense on her and they pulled it off flawlessly. I never would have thought this would be a good way to release some tension as a vampire, but it really was. We could have done this for hours but Jasper's thoughts stopped me, _So, do I get to spend any time along with you tonight Bella? _I stopped my blocking off Alice and went to him.

"What do you want to do?" I asked excitedly. After my talk with the girls, I was ready to be intimate with him and now I couldn't wait.

He laughed as he caught my emotions, "I was thinking we should go hunting". My face fell so he continued in my head, what_ I have planned for us tomorrow will take a lot of your energy, if that's the right word for a vampire. I just want you to be prepared and not uncomfortable from thirst at all. _He made sense and I was suddenly thirsty now.

"Let's go" I answered. We threw the bats back in the box Carlisle provided and I was shocked to see they were all coming with us. Carlisle noticed and sheepishly admitted, "I'm curious about your exceptional control Bella and I hope you do not mind me tagging along. The rest of us are coming because the bats all took a lot out of us". I understood now why I was so thirsty. Doing anything outside of the normal talking, moving, and breathing as a vampire required more blood. I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I really hadn't given it much thought before now.

"I don't mind" I answered as we took off running. It was wonderful to be back with my whole family and I didn't want to lose a minute of it.

**A/N: Okay, now that you know a lemon is coming, I have a question for you all. Do you want it from Bella's pov or Jasper's or both? **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this short chapter of the fishing trip. I figured I would give you a little something to read while I write the lemon. Thanks to Jacqulyn for being a wonderful beta again **** And thank you to all you wonderful readers & for reviewing. We're almost at 200! They mean so much to me! **

Emmett

I was finally going fishing with Charlie! I was so excited about it, that it didn't matter to me if my dad and brother were tagging along. I knew a little about fishing but not enough to impress someone who fished all the time like Charlie did. I spent the whole night reading and researching the different types of fish around here and which bait was the best. Well almost the whole night, first Esme made us clean up the mess our "talk" had made in the house. She was angry that we had wrecked so much furniture and so we all offered to pay for it. Thankfully the girls were all going shopping tomorrow so she could replace it as soon as possible. I was very prepared when Carlisle finally said it was time to go meet Charlie at his house. We took my jeep so that we could load all the fishing gear and be comfortable. Carlisle thought it might put Charlie more at ease if he wasn't in a small confined car with three vampires.

"Remember Emmett, you must abide by the speed limits on the way to wherever Charlie is taking us". Carlisle lectured as soon as we got in the jeep.

I groaned, "You better drive then dad. I hate driving slow". I really hate driving slow. It irritates me and I didn't want to be irritated today.

Carlisle smiled, "Of course I should. Your driving would probably give Charlie a heart attack and then Bella would kill you". I laughed with him. That was probably true. Charlie was getting his fishing gear together in the garage when we got there. I jumped down and gave him a bear hug. I just couldn't seem to help myself from liking Charlie. The rest of my family said it was an unhealthy liking, but I didn't care what they thought.

I heard Carlisle mutter at vampire speed, "Wow, your brothers and sisters weren't exaggerating".

Garrett answered him before I could, "No we weren't. Do you honestly think we could exaggerate this level of infatuation?" I rolled my eyes at them as I helped Charlie load his gear in the jeep. Did they really think I was infatuated? None of them ever got me. I just thought he was a cool dude, what's so wrong with that?

"Where's Jasper?" Charlie asked. I was going to let Carlisle answer that one, I would have said something inappropriate and Carlisle would be mad.

"He's taking Bella on a date tonight, so he stayed home to get things ready" Carlisle told him.

Charlie grinned, "That's great". It seemed like Charlie really approved of Jasper and I could tell that made Carlisle extremely happy. Esme would be thrilled when she found out. We loaded up into the jeep and headed for some place Charlie always fished at. It was torture having to drive at human speed there. I thought Carlisle was going slower than the speed limit on purpose, but when I looked over his shoulder at the speedometer, he was going five over the limit. It would take us a year to get there. No wonder Charlie had us meet him at five. We finally got to the lake he fished at and piled out of the jeep. The sun still had risen yet, so the drive must not have been as long as it felt like to me. We grabbed our gear and headed for the boat Carlisle had rented. He decided Charlie's usual boat would be too cramped for three vampires and one human and rented a bigger boat for the day.

"Wow" Charlie breathed when he saw it. It really wasn't that grand to me, but what did I know? Carlisle said he wanted something simple but big enough. He didn't want to overwhelm Charlie. We got everything in the boat in record time, even at a human speed. Charlie drove, hmm is drove the right word for a boat? He was after all the only experienced fisher out of us, and we made it to the middle of the lake rather quickly. He taught us how to bait our hooks and cast our lines. It was peaceful out here and not boring at all. I was worried that I would be bored out of my mind but it wasn't like that at all. I didn't even mind when we would all lapse into silence for a while. It gave me time to plot what I would do to Edward when he finally came back. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be back. He wasn't nearly finished with Jasper yet and I didn't have to have his or Alice's gifts to know that. Carlisle caught the first fish and he swiftly unhooked it and tossed it in Charlie's cooler before Charlie could notice it trying to wiggle off the hook away from Carlisle. Animals in the water or not instinctively stayed away from us and I'm sure that fish never would have bit that bait if it had any inkling of who was waiting for him on the other side.

Charlie wasn't concerned when we all refused to eat lunch with him. He just unpacked what he brought and dug in. He must have been used to that from Edward. I wondered what he thought of us but knew I would never get to find out that answer. We fished until the sun went down and Charlie had enough fish to last him a long time. He wasn't bothered when Carlisle told him to keep them all because we didn't eat fish. He just nodded and continued back to the dock. Charlie was just as amazing as Bella when it came to us, even if he didn't know the whole truth.

Charlie

I always knew there was something off with the Cullens and maybe it had bothered me before and that's why I disliked Edward so much. It was no longer a problem to me because they saved my Bella. There was not a doubt in my mind that Emmett was serious when he told me that Bella turned into one of them once I saw her. She looked so much like them and she was cold to the touch as well. I noticed every time Emmett grabbed me for a bear hug that he was stone cold. I didn't care anymore. Bella was always so observant and I knew that she would have figured out the truth about them. If it was what she wanted and she was alive in some form, how could I hate the family that saved her?

I just pretended like I didn't notice these things. They never ate in front of me so I was unsurprised when they didn't eat lunch on the boat. Whatever their diet was, I was sure I didn't want to know so I never asked any questions. Fishing with Carlisle, Emmett, and Garrett was very fun. I thought it would be uncomfortable and weird since Emmett seemed to have a man crush on me, but it wasn't. Emmett was an absolute riot to watch fish. He concentrated so hard on what he was doing and he was so excited when he caught his first fish. He must have sat there for an hour going, "here fishy, fishy" before he finally had a bite on his line. I was sad when the day finally came to an end and I hoped we would get to do it again sometime. I wanted to be involved in their lives as much as they would allow me to be for Bella. She loved them all and they treated her as if she had always been one of them. I could see the love and adoration they all had for each other and it made me happy. If she ever left or couldn't see me anymore, than at least I knew my little girl was happy and loved. That's all that mattered to me.

I was anxious to get home because I had to call Renee. Ever since Bella's fake death, which Renee didn't know was fake, we were closer than we ever had been. I called her every Saturday to check on her and she called me every Wednesday. She was finally grieving for Bella and I knew it would be a long process for her. At least I got to see Bella and know she was out there somewhere. It was so hard on Renee and I wished I could tell her the truth, but she would not have handled that well. As sad as it was to have her believe her daughter was dead, it was better for her this way. I was just happy that she had Phil to help her through this.

I knew the Cullen's would be moving soon and I only hoped that Bella would come home to visit me as often as she could. I didn't want to tell them that I knew this but I had secretly been doing a little investigative work on them. There wasn't much to find. They never left many records behind but I had traced their family throughout the years in various towns. The never stayed more than 5 or 6 years and that was about all I found on them. Their time in Forks would be ending soon and it made me sad to think of losing my Bella. It was like Carlisle knew I was pondering this on the way back to my house. He brought it up as he parked the jeep and helped me unload my fishing gear.

"Charlie, I don't know how to say this, but we will be moving soon. It's unfair to keep Bella locked up in the house all day. She can't be seen around town since everyone thinks she's dead and it's time for us to move on. I just thought I should warn you".

I nodded, "I understand. Will I be able to see her again after you leave?"

"Of course you can Charlie. Since you seem to understand we're not quite what the town thinks we are, we should be able to make this work" he smiled at me.

"Thank you Carlisle. I don't think I've ever said it, but I appreciate all you've ever done for Bella. Please pass this along to all of your family as well".

"It has always been our pleasure Charlie. We've loved Bella like our own from the moment we met her and we're very happy to have her in our family". I shook his hand and he got back into the jeep. Garrett shook my hand and said goodbye as well. And Emmett didn't disappoint as he bear hugged me again while grinning hugely. He was a real amusement and joy to have around. I liked him.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you to all who read, review, and put me on alerts or favorite my story. I am so happy that you all like it! Your reviews always make my day & I cherish each and every one of them **** I hope you like this chapter, it was a little hard to get started but now the words are flowing freely. Hopefully within the next two days, I can get the next chapter up. Thank you Jacqulyn for being a wonderful beta as always. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Oh, I always forget the disclaimer, plus I think you are smart enough to know I don't own Twilight or it's characters.**

Jasper

I was nervous as hell about my date with Bella today. I still hadn't decided what we were going to do besides the obvious yet. If we were both human, I knew it exactly what we would have done. I would have taken her out to dinner and then most likely a romantic movie. I never wished for my humanity back more than in this moment. Alice, my wonderful best friend and ex-wife, had reassured me as her, Rose, and Esme flitted out to go shopping, "She will love what you have planned so stopped changing your mind and worrying so much" with that she kissed me on the cheek and raced after them.

The guys had already left to go fishing with Charlie so it was just Bella and me all day. I was relishing that thought. I turned to face Bella and smiled hugely at her. Her answering smile was mesmerizing. "So what exactly do you have planned for today Jasper?" she asked as her eyes lit up in excitement. The desire and lust she was throwing my way was incredibly over powering. I had the urge to grab her up in my arms and make love to her right there, but I wanted to show her something special first. "Let's go and I'll show you" I said as I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the garage. Rosalie was letting me borrow her car for the day and I already had my guitar in the trunk. There was no way I could travel with Bella and my guitar on my motorcycle without her seeing it. That was the surprise. I was going to play for her. I wasn't even sure if she knew I played the guitar. I hoped she liked it. I drove as far as we could near the Olympic Mountains. I could have parked in the parking lot for Hurricane Ridge and taken the trail but Bella was still just a newborn and I didn't want her to be fighting her thirst as we hiked through the trees. Besides, if we parked off the side of the highway, we could easily move through the forest at vampire speed and reach our destination much faster. I parked the car and opened her door for her. I could sense her confusion as she stepped out of the car. I pushed calming waves at her and grabbed my guitar out of the trunk. Her eyebrow raised but she didn't ask anything about it, instead she grabbed my hand and I led us to our destination.

Bella

The mountain was absolutely beautiful. I had no idea which mountain in the Olympic Mountain Range we were in, as I still didn't know much about them. I would have to ask Jasper where he took me later on, but right now I was so enthralled with the beautiful scenery. We ran until we reached a very small clearing in the middle of the forest on the side of the mountain that overlooked the ocean. There was a small pond in the middle of the clearing and Jasper led us over to it. We could see for miles around us and it was just perfect. I sat down on the blanket he provided and waited to see what else he planned. I saw the guitar case he strapped over his shoulder as we got out of the car, but I didn't mention it yet. My impatience would have gotten the best of me by now, if not for the beauty of the scene around me.

"How did you find this place? It's so beautiful" I whispered. Jasper took my hand in his and I looked into his eyes, they were filled with so much love that it made my dead heart soar. I pushed all the love I felt radiating off of him back at him so that he could know how I felt about him too.

He smiled at me, "I found it a few years ago and this is where I come to think sometimes. Usually when I'm struggling for control of my blood lust. I haven't been here in quite awhile though and I thought you would enjoy it. It's not nearly as beautiful as you are darlin".

If I could still blush, I knew I would be tomato red right now. I leaned into him and kissed him deeply. He pulled away after a few minutes and motioned to the guitar, "Would you like to hear me play?" I nodded eagerly; of course I wanted to hear him play. Jasper singing was something that I'm sure I will never forget. It was so sweet, I wanted to cry. His voice was perfect and if possible I fell even more in love with my mate.

**a/n: This is a Tim McGraw & Faith Hill song and it just seemed to fit right here. I hope you like it & if you didn't know it before, go look it up! Back to the story!**

_Dancin' in the dark. Middle of the night. Takin' your heart and holding it tight. Emotional touch, touchin' my skin and askin' you to do what you've been doin all over again. Oh, it's a beautiful thing, don't think I can keep it all in. I just gotta let you know what it is that won't let me go. _

_It's your love, it just does something to me. It sends a shock right through me. I can't get enough and if you wonder about the spell I'm under, oh, it's your love._

_Better than I was. More than I am and all of this happened by takin' your hand. And who I am now is who I wanted to be and now that we're together I'm stronger than ever, I'm happy and free. Oh, it's a beautiful thing, don't think I can keep it all in. And if you asked me why I've changed, all I gotta do is say your sweet name._

_It's your love, it just does something to me. It sends a shock right through me. I can't get enough and if you wonder about the spell I'm under, oh, it's your love._

_Oh, it's a beautiful thing. Don't think I can keep it all in. I just gotta let you know what it is that won't let me go._

_It's your love, it just does something to me. It sends a shock right through me. I can't get enough and if you wonder about the spell I'm under, oh, it's your love._

_It's your love. It's your love. _

"Jazz, that was amazing" I told him as he set his guitar down.

He smiled, "I'm glad you liked it". He kissed me then and I couldn't stop myself from all but attacking him. My hands were tangled in his hair as I kept his lips against mine and pulled him on top of me. I started to pull his shirt up when his mouth left mine and his hands stopped me.

I felt rejection in that moment more than I ever had before. I knew Jasper had to feel it too.

"Oh darlin' please don't feel like that. Trust me I do want to do this, more than you know. But I don't want your first time to be in the middle of a mountain range on a blanket. I would rather it be in our bed". The way he emphasized our bed made me want that too and the rejection instantly melted away.

"Oh, I want that too" I answered and kissed him again. When he finally pulled away, we were both gasping for air even though we didn't need to breathe.

"Let's go home" Jasper told me. I jumped up and he raised an eyebrow and smirked, "In a rush?"

I laughed, "Yes, suddenly I am". He packed up his guitar while I folded the blanket and we made it back to the car in record time.

Jasper

I couldn't believe Bella actually thought I didn't want her that way. How could she ever believe that? I rushed to explain that I wanted our first time together, her first time ever, to be in our bed. I was relieved when she understood and her rejection faded away as quickly as it came. We rushed home and I asked her to wait in the car for me while I did something. She looked apprehensive but agreed. It was overcast so far today, just like Alice said it would be. There were dark rain clouds over the house when we got back. I rushed to our room and lit many candles around the room and huge four poster bed Esme had bought for us. Esme had refurbished her study into a beautiful bedroom for us. She decorated it in dark, earthy tones with a huge king bed. She even had a bathroom built in, that only housed a huge jacuzzi tub. We would be getting use out of that tub later. I sprinkled pink and red rose petals all over the bed and in a trail to the door. I hoped Bella would like what I had done. I ran down the stairs and out the door to get her.

I made her close her eyes and I carried her up the stairs. I could feel Bella's nervousness and it amplified mine. I needed to center myself and calm us both down or we wouldn't make it through this. I stepped into our room and told her she could open her eyes.

"Oh Jasper it's beautiful" Bella said as she took in all the candles and rose petals. I kissed her while I walked to our bed and set her on her feet by it.

"Bella, I am so ready to make love to you and make you mine in this way, but I want you to know if at any time you want to stop, you only have to tell me" I stared into her eyes while I held my breath for her response. She surprised me by hopping onto the bed and moving to the middle of it.

"Jasper, I'm not going to change my mind. I'm ready for this". If my heart could still beat, it would have flown out of my chest at those words. I laid next to her and snaked my arm around her waist pulling her against my body. I felt her desire spike and mine did too. It made me so happy that she wanted me in this way. I started kissing her while my hands roamed her body. Bella's hands were tangled in my hair again and she freed them to unbutton my shirt. I was suddenly nervous; Bella had never seen the scars on my chest before this. Sure she saw and accepted the ones on my arms, neck, and jaw, but there were so many more on my chest. I didn't know how she would accept me and that freaked me out. It was too late to stop her, my shirt was unbuttoned and she was sliding it off my arms. I waited for the repulsion that she was sure to feel but all I felt was shock and then pain. I pulled away to look at her.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about these scars on your chest? They are so much worse here and on your upper arms. You are too beautiful to have had this happen to you". That's my Bella, always thinking the best of me. She didn't even seem bothered by the fact that I would have had to inflict that much damage to others to have survived as long as I did.

"I love you" I whispered as I pulled her shirt over her head. I looked down and smiled at the lacy red bra she was wearing. It was something I honestly never would have pictured Bella wearing and it was hot. I captured her lips in a kiss and then moved down from her jaw to collarbone. I heard her sigh in contentment and I felt myself getting hard for her. I wanted her so badly right then and I had to slow myself down. I wanted her first time to special and for her to really enjoy it. I would worry about my needs after I took care of hers.

Bella's hand were running up and down my bare chest and it felt great. Her touch seemed to have the power to make me almost quiver. I loved the feeling of her hands on me. I felt her reach for my belt buckle and before I knew it my pants were off. She really moved quite fast even for a vampire. I removed her jeans and let out a small moan as I saw that her red, lacy underwear matched her bra exactly. "I'm glad you like them, I was a little apprehensive about it when Rose told me to go for it" Bella told me as she grinned hugely. She was obviously very happy with my response. I gave her another appreciative once over, "Darlin' I don't care if Rose had hand sewn them for you, my sister is absolutely one of the last people I want to be thinking about right now". She giggled as she moved her lips to kiss my neck. It felt so good! I rolled her onto her back and settled myself in between her legs. I slowly removed her bra and began to kiss, suckle, and nip each of her nipples. When my mouth was busy with one of them, my hand was on the other, tracing circles around them and pulling them until they were hard nubs. Bella was gasping and shuddering underneath me with each movement of my tongue. I slowly pulled myself off her and slid her panties down until they were free of her luscious legs and I threw them onto the floor. She looked beautiful all naked and waiting for me on our bed.

I felt her nervousness spike as I laid my body down next to hers. _I promise to make this as easy and pain free for you as I possibly can darlin'_ I thought to her as I pushed all the desire I could at her. She nodded and relaxed. I began kissing her again and ran my hand up her thigh. I gently started rubbing small circles around the outside of her core and felt her getting wet for me. I slid a finger inside her and smiled when she gasped in pleasure. I began moving it in a slow and deliberate way, while my lips never left her mouth. Soon I was able to insert another finger and I knew it was only a matter of time before she came for me. I moved my fingers back and forth as fast as I could and felt her tighten around them. She climaxed and let out a huge moan. It was definitely my undoing. I settled myself back in between her legs and began playing with her nipples again. I felt her tug at my boxers and then they were gone and we were skin on skin fondling each other. Her skin felt amazingly soft against mine and I wanted to spend every moment from here on out naked with her. I felt her push all of the desire and love she had for me out to me and I knew that was her way of saying she was ready.

I deeply kissed her as I slowly entered her. I felt her stiffen and then flinch as I thrust into her and broke her maidenhead. I stopped and gave her a moment to adjust to the size of me inside of her. I pumped in and out of her twice to fully make sure it was broken and then moved off of her. I felt her disappointment and I laughed, "I'll be right back darlin'. I just need to do something to make sure you never have to feel that pain again". I pushed as much venom as I could into my mouth and put my tongue inside her. I coated her with as much venom as I had and stopped only when she told me to. It wasn't hurting her anymore. I pushed more love and desire at her and was back on top of her sliding my cock inside her tight warmth. Bella never flinched from any pain this time and I knew the venom had done its job. I began pumping slowly in and out of her always bringing her to the edge, but never letting her go over it. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and said, "Jasper please". I started moving faster and faster until we both reached our climax at the same time, yelling each others name. I stayed deep inside her as I shifted us both to our sides so I was gazing into her eyes.

"That was incredible" she gasped as she struggled to get her breathing under control.

I laughed, "Yes it was". My laughing moved our bodies in a good way and I felt her desire spike again. She slowly started moving and when I moaned I saw intuition flash in her eyes. _Mmm, feel good does it major? I think this time I'm taking control"._ I moaned again when she called me major, that was so hot and then I was on my back and she was straddling me.

Bella

The pain wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I thought maybe the girls had freaked me out more than was necessary and I was happy for that. It was always better when you expected more pain and got less. Jasper was wonderfully beautiful and my desire spiked every time I looked at him. We both climaxed together and I was gasping for breath even though it was unnecessary when he rolled me onto my side while still in me. We were laughing together and it did strange things to our position. I wanted him again and I jumped at the chance to please him. I pushed him onto his back and straddled him. I slowly started moving up and down on his shaft and smiled when his eyes rolled back into his head in pleasure. I loved that I could please him.

For some reason, having Jasper make love to me had emboldened me and I grabbed his hands to place them on my boobs. His smile was huge when he realized what I wanted. I bent over him to kiss his lips and moaned when that little movement sent new sensations through out my body. I started moving faster and bringing him close to cumming and then stopped and slowly slid off of him. He started to protest but I held my hand up, _Just give me a second. I'm just getting started with you and I won't leave you like that I promise. Now what do you want me to do Major?_ I had no idea why I started calling him major, but I really liked it. _Get back on top of me and make me cum for you _he thought back to me. I smiled and willingly obliged. I sighed in contentment as I felt him fill me. I could make love to Jasper all day and never grow tired. I would do that if we could. I started slowly moving up and down while his hands gripped my hips helping me. He tried to move me at a speed more to his liking, but I wasn't having that. I shook my head no and held his hands over his head. What this did to us both, I would never forget. I wanted to finish him off right then and I did. With a loud scream I collapsed on top of him as he stopped shuddering. I pulled his face to mine and kissed him deeply.

"Now what do you want to do?" I asked with a wicked grin on my face.

He had me in his arms while I was still straddling him as he strode into the bathroom and started running water for a bath. I was never much of a bath person as a human, but taking a bath with Jasper seemed like a very good use of time now. When the tub was done filling, he got in and sat down with me on top of him. He felt so wonderful in me that I never wanted him to pull out. I started moving up and down even slower than before and smiled when he moaned in response.

"Darlin' I will never get my fill of you, I could do this all the time" Jasper whispered in my ear. Now it was my turn to moan in response and he smiled. He grabbed my hips again and started moving me to the pace he wanted to set as he turned the jets on. I let him this time and enjoyed all the new sensations that the water helped create. I gasped out when one of his hands wound its way to the front of my body and he started rubbing my clit as I moved up and down on him. After we both came again and the water grew cold, he lifted us out and set me on the counter. Of course he was still in me. He hadn't seemed any more willing to come out of me than I was to have him out. We were one as we made love over and over and I wouldn't have it any other way. He started moving into me as I gripped the counter for support. I could see him in the mirror across the room on the back of the door. It was absolutely the biggest turn on to see him as we had sex. This time when we were both done, he pulled out of me. I stuck my lower lip out in protest.

He laughed as he kissed it, "Bella, we need to go hunting. I know you don't realize it right now but you are thirsty. Your eyes are the darkest I have ever seen them. Plus, the family will be home soon and I know you want to hear how their days were".

Of course he was right. I had completely lost track of time and realized we had spent at least 9 hours having sex and I wasn't tired, just thirsty. How nice it was to be a vampire! We both went to put clothes on and then rushed out the door. I wanted to be back in time to meet my family. I did miss them like crazy, especially Rosalie and Emmett. Our time alone together had really brought the four of us closer together and I missed not seeing them all day.

Jasper

It had been about two weeks since Bella and I first had sex. We now spent most of our nights and even some of our days in bed. At first Bella was embarrassed to have the family in the house when we had sex but now she was over it. Listening to the rest of them when they were intimate with each other had convinced her that if we were doing it too, we wouldn't have to hear them as much.

Bella and Esme were in deep discussion about remodels for our new house. We were moving to a secluded area in Montana in two months. We picked Montana so Bella could still be close to Charlie, Emmett too. He threw a fit when he found out we were really moving. I finally got frustrated enough with his crush on Charlie to ask what it was all about. I think I was just feeling everyone else's frustration on top of mine and that's why I exploded at him. He threw his hands in the air and I could feel the exasperation rolling off of him as he coldly answered, "I do NOT have a crush on Charlie, nor am I obsessed with him in any unhealthy way" he was using air quotes on unhealthy, "I don't remember much of my human life anymore, but I do remember my father and mother. Charlie reminds me so much of my father that it makes me happy to be near him, okay everyone?"

Rose placed her hand as his shoulder, "Em, why didn't you just tell us that? We would have understood".

He slowly shook his head, "I didn't want Carlisle to think he wasn't a great dad or that I don't appreciate everything he has ever done for me. I really love being your son" he turned to Carlisle and hugged him. I had never seen Emmett this serious or emotional before and I was sure by their shocked faces that no one else had either.

"I never would have thought that my son and I thank you for thinking of my feelings, while pushing yours aside. If it makes you happy and helps you remember your real father at all, then I think it is good you and Charlie hang out so much". They had been hanging out almost every other day. It seemed Charlie liked Emmett just as much as Emmett liked Charlie. Bella smiled and nodded in agreement. I knew it made her happy that they hung out so much so I was happy too. I had apologized to Emmett and that was the end of our discussion about him and Charlie's friendship. I shook my head in amusement as I pulled myself out of the memory.

I knew now was the perfect time to ask Rosalie to come hunting with me. I didn't want to disturb Bella and Esme's plans for the new house. Esme found the perfect re decorator in Bella. They spent hours going over plans and details and then going over them again. I was happy they had something for just the two of them to bond over. Emmett was engrossed with one of his video games with Garrett, Carlisle was at the hospital, and Alice was shopping for a wedding dress. Garrett proposed two days ago and Alice was thrilled to have something to plan. I had an ironclad promise from her to not look into the future to see the discussion I was going to have with Rose. I didn't want her to know yet. Yes, Alice was my best friend, but Rose was always the one I was closest to and I needed to discuss it with her first.

"Want to go hunting with me Rose?" I asked her as she came in from working on her car. She smiled at me as she took in my 'I need to talk with my twin alone' look. We had perfected this look over the years so that we could talk alone whenever we wanted or needed to.

"Of course, bye Emmett" she sang as she kissed his head and flitted to the back door. He grunted in response as he concentrated on his game. I kissed Bella goodbye and ran outside to meet Rose.

We ran out of hearing distance of the family and stopped by our favorite spot to talk. She sat on a huge boulder and I took the giant log next to it as usual.

"What's up Jazz?" she asked softly. I decided I needed to be close to eye level with her, so I moved to take a seat next to her on the boulder and faced her.

"I want to ask Bella to marry me and I wanted your opinion on that". Her eyes lit up and she was practically bouncing up and down.

"Oh Jasper" she exclaimed as she flung her arms around me. "I'm so happy for you, but why do you need my opinion? You know I love Bella and I wouldn't ever tell you not to". I laughed as her confusion settled in around us.

"No Rose, I mean your opinion on how to do it? I've never asked a girl to marry me before. Alice saw it happening with us and told me so I never had to ask".

She nodded seriously now, "Hmm, nothing too fancy, you know Bella doesn't like grand gestures. Keep it simple and comfortable for her, also ask Charlie first. I know it would mean the world to Bella if he approved of you both. I think now is also a good time to let Carlisle give her the familly crest finally. She belongs with us all and she should know that before she agrees to stay with you forever".

I owed Rosalie huge for this. She was so practical and smart, everything she said made sense. Carlisle had been itching to give Bella the Cullen family crest for weeks now. Esme and he wanted Bella to know they really loved and thought of her as a daughter, but I stalled him. I said he should give her some time to adjust before branding her a Cullen for life. He had laughed at my term, but agreed at least.

"This is why you're my favorite in the family Rose, but don't tell Emmett. He will pout for weeks" I grinned at her as her laughter rang out in the forest.

"Do you have a ring already?" she asked eagerly. I reached into my pocket and dropped the black box into her waiting hand.

She opened it and smiled hugely when she saw the thin, silver band with a heart shaped two carat diamond in the middle. "It's beautiful and so Bella. She probably will freak out over the size of the diamond, but it's so simple and so her, that I doubt she will fight you much on it. How did you keep this from Alice?"

I laughed, "That little pixie probably saw it already and has chosen not to say anything Rose. I did find it when we were in Canada away from the family and she wasn't searching our decisions then, but I bet she has seen it by now".

"That makes sense. I'm so happy for you both. When are you doing it?" I could feel her anticipation rolling off of her now.

"I was thinking we could take a run over to Charlie's now and I can ask his permission. I don't know how he will react and I would appreciate it tremendously if you would come with me?" I was nervous as hell about asking him for his daughter's hand in marriage and I knew Rose could feel it.

"Of course I will. I won't send my brother into the chief's house when he has a loaded gun you know".

I laughed,"Then tonight Carlisle can give her the crest and I think I will ask tomorrow. I've been waiting for Bella my whole life and I don't want to waste any more time. Do you think Alice will mind?"

"Are you kidding me Jasper? Alice will love having another wedding to plan" we both laughed and Rose hugged me tightly. Then she grabbed my hand and started running, "Well let's get going" she told me as she towed me towards Charlie's.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thank you as always for reading & reviewing Enjoy!

Rosalie

I was so thrilled that Garrett and Alice were getting married. I wanted nothing more than for everyone in my family to be happy. Then Jasper told me he was planning on asking Bella to marry him. If my dead heart could have soared out of my chest, it would have. All of my siblings were happy and that made me ecstatic. I towed Jasper towards Charlie's house eagerly and knocked lightly on the door. As we waited for Charlie to answer, Jasper's nervousness was rolling off of him. I spoke quietly and at vampire speed, "Jasper get yourself under control or you are going to make Charlie as nervous as you. That won't be good for either one of you". Jasper nodded and closed his eyes. By the time Charlie had greeted us and ushered us into his small living room, Jasper was nothing but calm.

"What can I do for you kids?" Charlie asked as he settled into his chair.

I had to admire Jasper's courage as he just dove right in, "Charlie I would like to ask for your permission to ask Bella to marry me". I turned to look at Charlie. I expected him to be even just a little upset, but his face was turned into a huge smile.

"I just knew you would be asking this sometime. I could see it happening for awhile now and I would be honored to have you as a son in law, so yes you have my permission" Charlie stood up and moved to shake Jasper's hand and then returned to his chair.

"Well what else is new with you two? I haven't seen either one of you in awhile". We settled into the couch we were sitting on and spent a pleasant hour talking to Charlie. I realized as we were leaving that even though I hadn't spent nearly as much time with Charlie as Emmett or even Alice, I would miss him too. I was glad we weren't moving very far away from him. He was as much a part of our lives as Bella was when she was still human. I didn't even mind when he slipped and called me by Emmett's nickname for me, Rosie. I knew Emmett called me that, even though he kept insisting he didn't, and Charlie confirmed it. I laughed as he realized his mistake and reassured him it was okay. I didn't really hate the nickname; I just didn't like it as much as Emmett seemed to.

Jasper called Carlisle at the hospital as we ran home and I could hear the excitement in his voice about giving Bella the family crest. He said he would be home shortly after us. Emmett and Garrett were still involved with their video game as we came in and Alice was literally bouncing up and down in her chair as she shopped. Bella and Esme were so engrossed in their remodeling plans that they never even looked up as we came through the door. We silently sat on the couch and waited for Carlisle. He was grinning hugely as he came flying through the door and headed straight to his office. He really must have wanted to make Bella an official part of the family because he always came in and said hi to Esme before doing anything else. "Family meeting" he announced as he came back into the living room. Jasper was silently shaking in his seat from excitement and I realized he must have picked up on Carlisle's and mine and maybe even Alice's. I tried to contain mine, but it was impossible. They all gathered around us and I moved over so Bella could sit in between Jasper and I.

Carlisle waited until everyone was seated and he stood in the middle of us, "I've been waiting for the right moment to do this and I think right now is a good time. Bella, you know we all love you as a member of this family and we want to make this official" he handed her the box with the crest in it and went to sit by Esme. Bella slowly lifted the lid off and smiled when she saw the platinum crest nestled inside. It was just like mine, Alice's, and Esme's. She could place it on any ribbon, strap, chain, etc and wear it as a necklace, bracelet, hair tie, the possibilities were pretty high. We all found new and interesting ways to wear it all the time.

"Thank you mom, dad" Bella said as she placed it around her neck. Carlisle had included several ribbons and straps in the box for her to choose from. She got up and flew to where they were sitting. Esme was beaming with pride as Bella hugged them both.

"Yay! Bella is officially a Cullen" Alice jumped up from her seat to fling herself into Bella's arms for a hug. We all took our turns hugging her and officially welcoming her into the family. I wasn't the least bit surprised that she saved Jasper for last, but I was totally shocked when he pulled away from her and got down on one knee. I thought he was waiting until tomorrow! The impatience and determination he was pushing out towards us made me realize he needed to do this now for himself. He wanted all of us there with them.

"Bella darlin', I love you more than anything in this entire world and I would be honored to call you my wife for eternity. I promise to protect you and make you happy every day that we have to spend together. Will you marry me?"

"Yes" she simply answered as he slipped the ring on her finger. They kissed and the lust Jasper now threw around the room was intense. Sometimes it was a pain to have an empath in the house. I didn't want to feel all that lust, I wanted to feel happiness for them. Bless Esme and her mothering instincts. She loudly cleared her throat and launched herself at them as they finally stopped kissing. She had her arms around them both and was sobbing happily, "I am so happy for both of you". Another round of hugging went on in the room and when we were all hugged out, everyone retired to their rooms for the night.

Bella

"I'm going to miss you like crazy Bells" my dad said to me. I was visiting him for the last time before we moved. The past two months had flown by, and I spent as much time with Charlie as I could during that time. He often came to the Cullen's house and spent time with all of us.

"Me too dad. It won't be the same not seeing you all the time" I told him. We were sitting in his living room by ourselves. The rest of the family already came and said goodbye to him. Emmett was sulking when he left and I knew it would be as hard for him to leave as it was for me. I wished I could keep Charlie with me forever, but I would never force this life on him. It was extremely selfish of me to even think about doing that to him.

Charlie swallowed and seemed to collect himself before speaking again. "I expect an invitation to that wedding of yours. I don't care where I have to travel to or that I can't tell anyone that you married into a wonderful family, I want to be there".

A lump was rising in my throat and I fought to keep it down, "Of course dad. Are you going to be okay without me? You could come live with us you know. None of them would mind and it would make everyone happy, especially me".

"And give all this up? Not a chance Bells, you need to go live your life now and that means I have to let you go do it. Plus, I'm not as alone as you think. I have Billy and Jacob and all my other friends" he looked nervous as he stopped talking.

"What is it Dad?" I asked worried now.

He laughed, "Calm down Bella, it's nothing bad. I've been spending a lot of time with Harry's wife, Sue Clearwater and I find that I really enjoy her company". I smiled as this sank in. Harry was one of Charlie's best friends who passed away right around the time the Cullens had returned. Charlie had taken it upon himself to help Sue and her kids with whatever they needed during that time. I was really happy that he found someone to be with.

"That's great dad, really great" I smiled at him and sighed. It was time for me to go.

He looked sad now, "You have to go now huh?" I nodded as I stood to hug him.

"Take care of yourself Dad and call if you ever need anything. I can be back here in a flash" I mumbled as we hugged. Charlie didn't flinch away from the coldness of my body anymore. He actually hugged me with all his might this time.

"You take care of yourself too Bella. Tell everyone else I'm going to miss them too. You are all welcome to come visit whenever you want to" he pulled away from me finally.

I laughed, "Emmett will love to hear that".

Charlie laughed too, "I'm sure he will. You know, I really like Emmett and I'm going to miss him. He's like the son I never knew I wanted". Charlie thought of Emmett as a son he never had? Emmett was going to burst if I told him this.

"I won't tell him that until after we're at the new house. We will never get him to leave here if he knows beforehand that you think of him like that" I joked. It was easier to joke than talk about our feelings to each other.

"He told me once that I remind him of his real father. I guess that made us bond more" Charlie mused quietly. He told Charlie that? Emmett wouldn't even tell us that until Jasper yelled at him in frustration, but he willingly told Charlie?

I'm sure the shock was still present on my face, "What else has Emmett told you?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with Bells. It's between us" he laughed as he hugged me again and then I was on my way home. I was sad as I ran through the forest and I made it there very quickly. I would miss Charlie like crazy, but knew I had to leave. We couldn't stay in Forks any longer. I was supposed to be dead and Carlisle was barely passing for the age he claimed to be.

_How you holdin up?_ Jasper asked me as the house came into view.

_I'm okay, I'm just going to miss him so much._ I flew into his arms and let him calm me down with his gift. We all finished packing up the moving truck and cars and then we were on our way.

The trip took no time at all since we all drove super fast. Jasper and Emmett turned it into a race to see who could get there first. We won and Emmett had to pay up $5000. Their bets were ridiculous to me, even though I knew they could both easily afford it. The thing that really ticked Emmett off was we were driving his jeep and he was driving Rosalie's car.

The house was beautiful. Esme had outdone herself with this one. It was beautiful inside and out. It was easily twice, maybe three times the size as the one in Forks and each couple had their own suite. The left wing of the house was divided into two suites, one for Rosalie and Emmett and one for Jasper and I. Esme and Carlisle had their suite in the right wing with Alice and Garrett. Jasper and my suite consisted of our room, a library, an office, and a bathroom with just a jacuzzi tub and stand up shower. We both had really enjoyed our tub back in Forks and this one was just as nice. Our suites were all upstairs with two guest rooms that each had a bathroom in between the wings, and the downstairs of the house was just as amazing. It had a kitchen that overlooked the lake out back, a game room for the boys, a dining room, a formal and informal living room, three bathrooms, and two guest rooms that each had a bathroom. Why there were so many bathrooms in a house where no one used them made me laugh. Oh the Cullen's and their appearances. Every single room in the house was huge, much bigger than any normal house. I loved this house and never wanted to leave.

Esme had picked out a beautiful house on a wonderful piece of land. It had a lake out back and was tucked way back into the forest. Our drive was two and a half miles long, so there was absolutely no chance any human would come wandering onto our property without us hearing it first.

When we are all done unpacking and settling into the house, Alice asked me to go hunting with her. She was acting kind of strange, even more so than usual for her. I agreed and we ran out the door. As soon as we were far enough away, she turned on me. I still had the instinct to protect myself, but it was much more controlled now. I felt myself only taking half a step back from her and relaxing as she smiled to show me she didn't mean any harm. I relaxed further and waited until she was sitting before I joined her. I sat across from her and waited for her to start talking.

"Bella look, I know you don't like attention drawn to yourself and all that nonsense, but please just keep an open mind for what I want to ask you?"

She waited to start speaking again until I nodded at her. "Bella, will you please consider letting me plan a double wedding for us?" I had been fully prepared for her to ask me to let her plan some extravagant affair for my wedding, so this threw me for a second and I sat speechless. She continued to beg me, "Please Bella? It will be so much fun to get married on the same day as each other, don't you think? If you really think about it, all the attention will be divided on us equally. You won't be in the spotlight so much then. Please, Bella?"

"Alice, who will you even invite to this thing?" I asked apprehensively.

"The Denali's of course, Jasper's friends Peter and Charlotte, Garrett's friends, some of Carlisle's friends, and of course your father".

I stopped her right there, "Alice, how in the world do you plan on having Charlie around that many vampires without one of them trying to kill him? I know they aren't all vegetarians like we are, well except for the Denali's".

She held up her hand to stop me, "I know you promised Charlie he could be there Bella and none of the other vampires would ever dream of touching him. Carlisle never allows them to hunt anywhere near a place we are living at when they visit. They would never risk crossing any of us like that". She smiled hugely as she saw my resolve weaken and my decision must have been made for me.

"Fine Alice, but don't do anything ridiculous or I'll never forgive you" I warned. She launched herself at me to hug me, "I promise to try and be on my best behavior. If you feel I am getting out of line, I will let you take over the planning yourself, deal?"

I sighed at that. She was only promising to try and be on her best behavior? I would end up taking over then, if she couldn't rein it in. "Deal Alice" I said as she squealed in delight and hugged me again. We ran home so she could tell everyone the good news. Well good news to her, to me it was just news. I was quiet on the way home. I had been struggling with who to ask to be my maid of honor ever since Jasper proposed. Clearly all three women in my life would each make a great one and I loved them so I didn't have the heart to choose. I didn't want anyone's feelings to get hurt, but I knew I would absolutely love to have Rosalie as mine. She was with me through all those first few weeks of my new life and we were still very close. Esme wouldn't be upset; at least I didn't think she would be. I thought she would be thrilled to see just how close Rose and I were. It was Alice's feelings who I was really concerned with. I loved as Alice just as fiercely as I did Rose, and I did not want to upset her by picking Rose over her. But now with both of us getting married at the same, I wouldn't have to worry about Alice's feelings. Would she be upset with me taking Rose and not letting her have her was my new worry.

"Oh, Bella, you are going to give me a headache with all this indecision you have going on with who your maid of honor will be. Will you please just ask Rosalie when we get back and be done with it? I think you don't want to hurt any of our feelings, and I promise you, mine or Esme's never would have been. Plus, I honestly would love to have Esme as mine".

I laughed, "Alice are you sure you can't read minds?"

Her laughter rang out and she had a hard time answering me, since she couldn't stop, "Sometimes it's just easy to guess what you are thinking as your decisions flash around in my head. I promise you Bella, I really want to have Esme as mine. After all she's done for me through out the years; it will be so nice to give her this gift as a thank you".

"I'm sure it is the best thank you she has ever received" I said seriously. We reached the house then and Alice flitted in to find Esme and I headed to the garage for Rosalie. I heard her moving around in there and was sure she would be fixing up her car to go even faster. She was just as upset as Emmett that they had lost the race to the new house and was determined to make her car faster than his jeep. She was bent over the hood when I came in and she raised an eyebrow when she looked up at me.

"Hey little sis, what brings you out here?" she teased while grinning. They all picked on me for my lack of desire in a fast sports car and knew I never went in the garage.

"Hey big sis, want to be my maid of honor?" I shot back while grinning hugely. Rosalie's eyes widened, her mouth popped open, and she dropped whatever tool it was she had been holding. I leaned up against Emmett's jeep and smirked at her.

"Bella, are you sure?" she asked when she finally regained control. I shrugged casually.

"Who better than one of my favorite sisters?" I asked. She was still staring at me so I asked, "So Rose are you going to answer me or do I have to get down on one knee or something?" With that she flung herself across the garage and grabbed me in an Emmett like bear hug.

"Oh, Bella, I would be so honored to be your maid of honor!" she squeaked as she bounced up and down. "I always thought you would ask Alice though because well you know" she was mumbling towards the end.

"Rose, you know I love you as much as I love Alice, but I really want it to be you up there with me. I-" I stopped talking. I was never really good with expressing my emotions and now was no different.

"Thank you Bella, I promise to be the best maid of honor any one has ever had and you don't have to finish that sentence. I know, I feel the same way". She hugged me again and then grabbed my hand. "Let's go help Alice plan this wedding. You know she's going to be impossible".

I laughed and told her about the agreement Alice and I had reached about the double wedding. I thought I saw her face fall a little at that and I wondered why.

We had reached Esme and Alice in the formal living room by then. Esme rushed forward to hug us both. I saw Alice studying Rosalie's face and I almost fell over from what came out of her mouth next.

"I swear Rosalie Hale, if you do not stop doubting Bella's reasons for wanting you as her maid of honor, I will remove your arm and beat you with it!"

"Alice!" Esme gasped.

Alice just rolled her eyes and turned back to Rosalie. "You mean Bella really picked me and is not just forced to have me since you're having a double wedding?"

Alice did her famous eye roll again, "Rosalie, I thought you were the smartest one in the family besides Carlisle but I guess not. Bella's indecision has been driving me nuts ever since Jasper asked her. You were her first choice, but she didn't want to hurt mine or Esme's feelings". Rosalie's face lit up in the most beautiful smile.

"I'm sorry for ever thinking that Bella. I guess I have some issues to work on in the jealousy department".

"All is forgiven Rose, please don't think like that anymore" I told her. Alice grabbed everyone's attention as she wanted to talk to wedding plans. She lasted about an hour before her plans became to grandiose for me. I took over and appointed her my assistant. She grumbled that I didn't know how to enjoy the spotlight more and that she would work on that. I think the only reason she didn't fight me more on taking over, was that she was truly, very excited to have a double wedding with me. Alice was planning for the wedding to be in spring, so there was plenty of time to plan. It drove her insane that I would only do a little planning every day. I think it bothered Esme as well, so Esme took over planning and Alice was her assistant. I was promised that Esme could rein her in. I hoped for Alice's sake that she could. I was so content in my new life and just happy to be with my family, that Edward was a distant memory to me. I never thought about him anymore until the day everything changed and he was at the forefront of almost every conversation.

**A/N: Dun dun dun … Edward is back, you knew it was coming sometime **** Also, thank you to the Keeper of the Covenant for the suggestion to have Alice as an assistant during the wedding planning. I decided to have Esme plan it and Alice is her assistant because we all know Bella wouldn't really be into it.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks to Jacqulyn for being a great Beta! Also, I've noticed some problems with the site not showing some chapters, so please make sure you've read 15 & 16. Thanks for all the great reviews! I assure you I do read them, I just haven't had time to respond to them all. I'm getting ready to go camping next week and I want to get as much written as possible so that I don't get an idea in the middle of the wilderness with no computer **

Jasper

My life was finally complete. I had the most wonderful family and an even more amazing mate than I ever dreamed I would. Bella was perfect for me in every way. We were living a great life in Montana and even though I never forgot about Edward lurking out there, I never put much thought into him. That would prove to be my biggest mistake. Rosalie and Bella had gone hunting together, while Esme and Alice were planning the weddings. It amused me to no end to see Alice as an assistant instead of in full control. Garret and Carlisle were busy talking about something, I wasn't paying too much attention to what it was. Emmett was playing a video game in his game room, and I was reading when it all changed.

_**JASPER!**_ Bella's frantic mental voice pulled me right out of my book.

_What is it?_ I asked worriedly. The next thing I knew, Bella was projecting what was happening with her and Rose into my head. They were surrounded by four very young newborns and one older vampire. Rosalie was crouched down into her defensive stance and I could see through Bella's eyes that Rose had taken to pushing Bella up against a tree behind her. Rose would do anything to protect Bella and I knew she could put up one hell of a fight, but even Rose didn't stand a chance against five vampires on her own. My book fell out of my hand and hit the floor with a loud thud as Bella's mental voice was suddenly very quiet.

My anger radiated through the house and I couldn't do anything to control it. I was on my feet and heading for the door when I heard Emmett come crashing out of the game room. Rosalie must have been talking to him as well. Bella's voice stopped me dead in my tracks, _Jasper! Hurry Jasper! They are going to hurt her, oh no. Please hurry!_ I heard Emmett growl, "Rosalie!" at the same time I growled Bella and we were both out the door and following their scent. I could hear the rest of the family asking Alice what was going on as they ran to catch up to us. "I don't know, I couldn't see any decision until just now". What decision did she see being made? I had no time to waste in finding out.

Emmett was a good five feet in front of me and we were both running as fast as we could. We reached the spot where Bella and Rose were and Emmett stopped in his tracks for a full second. I could see he was calculating what he was going to do. Two of the newborns had restrained Rose and looked as if they were about to rape her, but Rosalie was one hell of a fighter. There was no way she was ever going to let that happen to her again and neither would I or Emmett. I looked at Emmett and he let out the most ferocious growl I had ever heard come out of his mouth. He looked quite terrifying and I knew if I were to let him take me on right now, he would have a pretty good chance of winning. My eyes snapped to Bella and I could see the other two young newborns trying to confuse her to make their move. I growled and lunged after the one closest to me. I snapped his head off and went over to the next one doing the same thing. Emmett had the head snapped off one of the ones attacking Rosalie and was on his way to get the other one's head. Garrett and Carlisle were restraining the older vampire as he tried to get away.

The major was in full control now, and I walked over to Garrett and Carlisle and stood in front of them while I stared down the unknown vampire.

"Who sent you?" I asked him.

"Edward" he answered quickly. I was surprised to hear him actually answering honestly and that quickly. I was expecting to have to torture him some before he gave anything up.

"For what reason?" Emmett demanded. He was under control now and he had planted himself right in front of Rosalie, who had pulled Bella behind her. Alice and Esme were on either side of Bella.

"He wanted to see if you were all here together and he wanted us to warn you. It was just supposed to be a warning. Nothing else. He didn't want them to hurt any of you".

"What's your name?" Carlisle asked. What the hell did it matter what this miscreant's name was?

"John" he answered. His eyes never left mine and I could tell he had already calculated that I was his biggest threat.

"Well John" I said as I crossed my arms over my chest, "if you were only here to deliver a warning, what the hell was this warning? And what the hell went wrong that made your friends attack my mate and my sister?"

John shook his head, "I don't know why they decided to do that. They were told not to make any decisions because your future seeker would see them. They saw the blonde one and wanted her. I could hear them fighting over her in their heads. They decided to share her and they weren't my friends. It was my responsibility to watch them. The warning is that Edward is coming for you all. He won't be alone".

I heard my family as they all snarled at this information. I turned to Alice to find out if she had seen anything before that decision was made. She shook her head no, and I hadn't even asked her the question yet. She knew me too well.

"When is he coming? How many does he have with him?" Garrett demanded.

"I don't know when. Him and the red head never told us and we hardly ever saw her. The only reason we saw him was because he told us he could project to you that he was still in Italy. Last count there were 41 newborns, not including the 4 you just killed". There had been 45 newborns altogether? And who was the red head?

Carlisle interrupted my next line of thought with something I hadn't even thought of yet, "You said you could hear them fighting over my daughter in their heads? How is that possible?"

"I can read minds just like Edward. I don't get as much information as he does, but I get the gist of things. I was supposed to be the look out. Once the girls contacted their mates, I was to give the warning and we would leave. I could hear the blonde one's thoughts about defending her sister and herself but I never heard her contact a mate" John shook his head in frustration. He looked up at Bella then and I had to stop myself from ripping his head off right then and there. We needed as much information as we could get off him. "How does your shield work?" he asked her curiously, "how did you get it to protect your sister as well?"

Bella just shrugged and I was sure that she had no idea either. We would work on that later.

"Do you have anything else to add?" Garrett asked John, who just shook his head no.

"And what will they think if none of you return?" I asked him.

"That our message was delivered. We were a suicide mission, I knew that from Edward's thoughts. That's why I volunteered. The other guys were hand picked because they were volatile and kept ruining Edward's plans. I volunteered because I hate this life. I hate what Edward has turned me into but he won't kill me. I've tried picking fights with the other newborns but he won't let them kill me either. He says it would be a waste, so I came here hoping you would kill me. So please just get it over with" John closed his eyes and waited. Garrett was the one who ripped his head off and threw it in the pile with the other ones. We lit it on fire and watched it burn.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked me as she came to stand beside me and hold my hand. I glanced down at her curiously.

"How did you protect Rosalie's thoughts?" I asked her. She smiled at me.

"I'm not really sure, I just knew I needed to. I could hear John telling them the different ways Rose would protect us as she thought them and I wished she could be immune to his gift like I am to Edward's. I guess I projected it onto her".

Rosalie smiled at Bella, "Thank you little sis. It looks like you saved my life instead of me saving yours like I was prepared to do".

The wheels in my head were spinning, "Bella, if you could learn to better control it, you could protect Alice and maybe then Edward's projecting what he wants wouldn't work on her. Alice might be able to see everything Edward was planning".

Carlisle was visibly excited as he thought about this, "Bella, do you think you can learn to control it?"

"I can try" she said.

"How will we know if it is working?" Carlisle mused.

"I could hear every thought Bella had when she had me under her shield and she could hear mine. We actually had a conversation about what to do next," Rose announced. I looked at her shocked. They could hear each other? That was unheard of, unless they were both mind readers, but they weren't. Bella truly was the most fascinating creature I have ever come across.

"Fascinating," Carlisle murmured as he thought about this.

"We can work on it with you Bella, but we need to start planning for the newborn army Edward is making," I reminded them. "There is no way we can take on 41 newborns and survive by ourselves. We need help and lots of it. If Edward and the red haired woman that John told us about are there, that makes it 43 vampires in total. There's only 8 of us. Even with Alice's and Bella's gifts we are incredibly outnumbered". I was planning strategy after strategy in my head, and Alice kept saying that will never work to each one.

Emmett had wrapped his arm around Rosalie's shoulder now, "Rosie, are you okay?," he quietly asked.

She looked up at him, "Yes Emmett, I'm fine now. Thank you for saving me". She kissed him deeply on the lips and then turned to every one else, "Thank you all for saving me from having to go through that again. Once is one time too many". I had to hand it to her, Rose was tough as nails. Any other girl would have been having flashbacks to that horrific night because of what almost just happened, but Rose was moving on.

"Let's go home and plan strategy" Carlisle said after he hugged Rosalie and Bella. We sat around the fireplace in the informal living room and began planning what to do.

I was wondering out loud about who the unknown red head could be when Rose punched me in the arm. "Jasper, how the hell can you not have figured out who the red head is? Who is the one person who was after Bella before she changed? The person who sent Laurent after Bella? The person who we were getting ready to fight when we all came back to Forks but then she disappeared?"

My eyes widened as I realized who she was talking about, "Holy shit Rose! You're telling me Edward is working with Victoria?"

Esme didn't even reprimand me for my language this time. Alice chimed in now, "This is all starting to make sense now. I saw Aro being upset about something a month ago, but I couldn't see what it was. Edward was still there as far as I could see. He must have been projecting that to me so that we would be unprepared for him. There is no way he could get a newborn army together that quickly. John must have been at least a year old to have that much control. Victoria must have started this, and I bet she appointed someone else to be in charge of the decision making".

Alice was right. If she had been careful with her decisions and had someone else making them for her, there was no way Alice could have seen that.

"What can we do?" Carlisle asked.

"We have to start making calls. We need reinforcements. If we can get enough mature vampires here to help us, we might have a chance. I can call Peter and Charlotte, they will be happy to help and they know almost as much as I do about newborns armies" I said and I saw Garrett's head snap up.

"Are you talking about Peter and Charlotte Whitlock?" he asked.

I frowned at him, how did Garrett know their last name? I was sure I had never mentioned it before in front of him. "Yes" I answered and then it clicked. When we first met Garrett he had said something about having a friend who just knew things without knowing why, Peter knew things without ever giving me a reason as to how he knew them. It drove me crazy all the time. "Peter is the friend you mentioned that just knows things isn't he?" I asked with a smile. What a small world it really was and that jerk had never mentioned to me that he knew Garrett. While I hadn't seen Peter and Charlotte in quite a few years, I talked to him at least once a month.

Garrett was smiling back, "Yes he is. I guess I never thought much about the Whitlock last name being the same as yours until right now".

"Yes, yes it's all fascinating, now who is going to call them?" Alice demanded impatiently.

"I can, that jerk owes me some explanations" I scowled. Garrett grinned, "Like you will ever get them". I scowled even more, he had a point.

"I'll call Tanya's coven and see who else she can think of" Carlisle announced as he whipped out his phone.

I dialed Peter's number and waited. "Hey Major, we are already on our way and should be there tomorrow" Peter greeted me. How the hell did he do that?  
"How the hell do you do that?" I demanded.

Peter just laughed wickedly, "Like I'll ever tell you. I haven't told you yet, so why do you even bother to ask? Anyways, you will have to explain when we get there what is going on".

"Oh so your gift doesn't give you details huh?"

"No Major but you already knew that. I must say I am quite disappointed in both you and Garrett. I can't believe it took you both this long to figure out you had the same friend".

"We've been busy" I answered.

Peter laughed, "Yes I know. You and that family of yours sure do have your trouble with the drama lately".

"Tell me about it" I grumbled.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow Major and boy do we have a surprise for you" and with that he hung up. He was agonizingly frustrating when he wanted to be; and he often wanted to be.

I turned back to my family and Garrett was grinning, having heard everything, of course, "He sure can be a handful can't he?". I nodded in agreement and waited for Carlisle to get off the phone with Tanya.

He finally hung up and turned back to us, "Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, and Carmen will be here tomorrow. Irina has left the family and they aren't sure when or if she will be back".

Esme gasped, "Why did Irina leave?" I had a feeling I knew the answer to that.

Carlisle sank into a chair, "Irina blames us for letting the wolves kill Laurent. Apparently he was her mate and she's very mad at us and Tanya's family right now".

Yup that was exactly what I thought she would be mad for.

"Why is she mad at Tanya's family?" Bella asked.

"Tanya and the others have agreed that Irina can't go after the wolves. They see nothing but trouble for their family if she does. Tanya believes if it weren't for the wolves, then Bella and Jasper would be dead and she is happy they aren't. Tanya was never that fond of Laurent to begin with and hearing that he came to Forks as a favor for Victoria, just solidifies her reasoning that he was no good for Irina." Carlisle explained.

"That makes sense but it's still so sad that Irina has left her family" Esme said.

"Did Tanya give you any names of anyone else who could help?" I asked.

Carlisle sighed, "Yes, she thinks a couple nomads might help and she says we should try the Amazons. Some of us will have to travel there to find them and maybe the Irish coven".

"Do you think they will help?" I asked uncertainly.

"All we can do is ask them. They can if they choose to. I would never force them to help us" Carlisle shrugged.

"Let's take tonight to plan strategy so we have more of an idea of what we can tell all our guests when they arrive tomorrow" I said. We needed a plan and we needed it quick. I hoped Bella was able to at least shield Alice long enough for her to see what Edward was planning. He couldn't use his gifts against Bella's shield, so this was our best chance to find out what he was doing.

Edward

My family was unbelievably predictable. That would be their greatest mistake and ultimately lead to their downfall. I knew none of the vampires I sent to spy on them would come back and I was glad. The four young idiots I had picked to go were driving me insane. All they wanted to do was drink more and more blood and fight among each other. I sighed as I thought of John, I hadn't wanted to lose him because he was under control, but his thoughts were entirely impossible to handle anymore. All he wanted was death. He hardly ever fed anymore and always tried to get in the middle of fights so that someone would take him out. I didn't want that so I put a ban from anyone taking his life. Sending him was horrible, but his damn depressing thoughts were bringing me down.

I knew that once he told them all everything I had planned that they would start formulating plans to counter my attack. No matter how many vampires they were able to round up, it still wouldn't be enough. I trained my newborns in the same way that I saw Jasper had trained his. It really had come in handy to be able to pick his brain all those years ago. They were a force to be reckoned with now, and I relished that I had helped to make them into a killer army.

Victoria was infuriatingly impatient and I wanted nothing more than to kill her but if I did that, Riley would turn all the newborns against me. I was stuck with her for now. The first time we crossed paths after I left Volterra she tried to kill me and got away when I had the upper hand and tried to kill her. The second time, Riley was with her and he was able to mediate between and we reached an agreement. We would work together to get rid of my family. She wanted to personally kill Jasper and Emmett since they were responsible for James dying and not me. She could have them, I only wanted that holier than everyone else "father" of mine and Bella for betraying me with my own "brother".

I had spent decades with the Cullens and I knew exactly what they would do and how they would do it. My plan would most definitely work. As long as I kept projecting to Alice what I wanted her to see, we would pull this off with out a hitch. Then I would go back to Italy and be Aro's pet. It's what we both wanted, after all. He would get me and I would get power and all the human blood I could drink. I was now getting impatient while thinking of this, but I had to wait until the newborns were just old enough to think about more than blood. One month and revenge would be mine.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Here is the last chapter I will post before I leave for camping tomorrow. See how much I love you guys? I'm posting when I should be packing :) If there are mistakes I am so sorry, but I thought it was more important to get this out! Thanks to Jacqulyn for reading. And thank you all for reading and to those of you who take the time to review, it's truly appreciated! **

Jasper

Peter and Charlotte had just arrived. I was excited to see my brother and his wife . I missed them both greatly. Maybe when all this drama was over with, Bella and I could go spend some time with them. I knew they both would enjoy that. The only thing I was worried about was Bella's reaction to them being human blood drinkers. I opened the door to let them in and got the shock of my life. Both of their eyes were the same golden color as ours. That was his huge surprise. He explained that once he felt we would need their help, they switched diets. Carlisle would be extremely pleased. He liked Peter and Charlotte, but hated their diet.

I let them in and gave them each a huge hug. We went into the living room where everyone was gathered.

"You remember everyone" I gestured towards my family.

Peter rolled his eyes, "Of course we do, Major".

"Hi Char!" Alice squealed as she rushed forward to grab Charlotte in a hug.

"Alice! I've missed you" Charlotte answered as she hugged Alice fiercely back. Alice then launched herself into Peter's arms.

Peter laughed and tussled her hair as she stepped back.

"Peter, Charlotte it is so good to see you" Esme said as she took her turn hugging them.

Carlisle grinned as he stepped forward to shake Peter's hand and hug Charlotte, "Love your eye color" he told them.

They both grinned and Peter of course said he knew Carlisle would. Smug bastard.

Emmett and Rose took their turns next and then it was Bella's turn. She stepped confidently up to my side and faced them. I loved that she didn't feel the need to cower behind me like she always had with Edward. In their relationship he was the dominant one and she was like his puppet. I still felt guilty that we all let that happen to her. Bella was strong and independent and she had spent years taking care of herself and Renee. The way Edward manipulated her into being dependent on him was ridiculous and I would never do that to her. Yes, I would always make sure she was safe and happy, but I would let her stand on her own two feet. She didn't need me to watch over her every movement, she was my equal.

"Peter, Charlotte, this is my mate Bella" I introduced her. She stepped forward to shake Peter's hand but he grabbed her up into a hug instead.

"So nice to meet you finally Bella" Peter said as he set her back on her feet.

Charlotte gave her a gentle squeeze and welcomed her to the family. We spent the remainder of the morning going over strategy and catching up. Peter was intrigued by Bella's gift and he was all for helping her learn how to control it in whatever way he could.

The Denali clan arrived in the afternoon and there were more introductions and catching up. Carmen, Eleazar, Tanya, and Kate were all equally intrigued by Bella's gift and they vowed to help her control it. I thought Kate would be the best for this training. Kate had the gift to shock you with just a light touch. It stung like hell on low and could incapacitate you on high. Peter and I were the only ones who volunteered to receive shock after shock in an effort for Bella to shield us. It would work for a few minutes and then we could feel the pain again. I knew Bella was struggling to get control of it and I could see and feel how guilty she felt each time we were shocked. It was two full days of emotional turmoil on me before Kate finally broke through and what happened was amazing.

Bella

I was literally seeing red. I was that angry at Kate that my vision was tinted with red. I knew Jasper was feeling my anger because I heard him warn Kate to back off, but she wouldn't listen. We were working on trying to get me to be able to control my shield. I was able to shield at least two other people for a few minutes, but it always snapped back into place. I was frustrated enough with myself, I didn't need Kate's motivation. Kate had a special gift too, she could produce an electrical current on her body and it would drop even an immortal to their knees. Jasper and Peter were the only volunteers to keep receiving shock after shock from Kate's low setting. I hated to see either one of them suffer like they were, but I still wasn't able to control it.

Peter and Charlotte had arrived early in the morning two days ago and I immediately loved them. They were so much like Jasper and yet so different. They were just wonderful people and I was amused whenever Peter would announce something just before Alice could. Alice always did her famous eye roll and then provided every detail Peter's gift left out. It seemed like it was a kind of competition between the two of them and when I mentioned that everyone laughed. "It's been this way for years Bella" Rosalie told me as she grinned at Alice, "Now that Alice's gift has expanded to include past and present visions, I bet you it gets even worse".

Alice huffed, "Only if he keeps ruining things I want to announce". Peter just laughed. The Denali clan arrived later that day and I loved them all as well. They were so much like the Cullen's; it was like they were just an extension of the family. Now here we were two days later and I was ready to rip my cousin Kate's head from her body.

I saw the moment she decided to change her tactics and I just knew she was using her high setting as she stalked toward Esme, Rosalie, and Alice on the couch. We were in the informal living room, as it was the biggest room in the house and all the furniture was pushed out of the way. Those three were sitting on the couch as they watched what was going on. Kate stood right next to Esme and went to touch her, I growled. "KATE! I know there is no way in hell you are going to shock my mother on that high setting of yours". I slowly started stalking towards here. She smiled at me, "Of course I am Bella and then I'm going to shock your sisters too". Now I was so livid that the red seemed to explode from my sight and I was in full control of my rage. I tested my shield and knew I could feel it better too. I threw it out towards the three woman at just the right moment. Kate touched Esme and I smirked as nothing happened to her.

_Way to go Bella!_ Rosalie thought happily at me.

_Thank you_ Esme said gratefully.

_I knew you could do it! It's funny that it took her threatening us and not your mate though_ Alice mused as she searched her visions for what would happen next. I saw it and turned on Kate. Sure enough she was stalking towards Carlisle and Emmett now, who were closest to the girls. I threw my shield out towards them, while keeping the girls under it and waited. Nothing happened as she touched each of them on the shoulder.

_Cool!_ Emmett's mental voice boomed in my head.

_I'm very proud of you_ was Carlisle. Next Kate moved to Charlotte, Carmen, Eleazar, and Tanya. I forced them under the shield and waited for it to snap back into place. This was too long, it should have gone back but nothing happened. It stayed safely around everyone so far. Garrett, Peter, and Jasper were the last ones for Kate to try and torture. I growled as she moved lithely across the floor. I crouched and was ready to spring on her the instant my shield went back into place, but again it held firm.

_Pull Kate under too_ Carlisle said. I did and soon everyone was just throwing memories around. We all got to see some of Alice's visions and I enjoyed when Rose showed me some of the stupid things Emmett had done over the years. Jasper asked me to release everyone except for him and Kate so I did.

"Now Kate, use your low setting and shock me under the shield. I want to see if it works under here" Jasper told her and with that I released him too. It was only me and Kate now. She seemed unaffected and decided to reach for me instead, but nothing happened. Jasper frowned, "Bella you need to let her shock me under there. I need to see if it works or not and Kate couldn't shock you before so having only you with her is not helping". I shook my head no, there was no way I was going to let him get shocked now that I could stop it from happening. "I promise the low setting really doesn't hurt, it's just a sting" he tried to reassure me but I wasn't falling for it. I had already seen both him and Peter flinch in pain from it.

Peter stepped forward, "Bella, bring me under the shield. Kate can shock me again, so she doesn't have to do it to Jasper". I sighed. They weren't going to let this go. I pulled it around Peter again and waited. Kate moved to shock him and the pain he thought of in his memories of it, made me angry. I just wished Kate could get a dose of her own medicine. I unshielded her and forced all my concentration on keeping Peter safe. Kate reached for him and then all the vampires out of the shield were suddenly on the ground. I threw the shield around them all again and stared at Peter with the same open mouth shocked look he was giving me.

They were all on their feet and shouting at Kate. The most asked questions were how she did that and why didn't she tell them she could do that before. She glared at me, "I did not do that. Ask her how she did that!". Kate was upset and in pain from her own gift. I almost giggled at that but stopped myself. All of my family was in pain and it was my fault.

"Bella, do you know how you did that?" Carlisle asked gently.

"No, I was just thinking that she should get a dose of her own medicine once in awhile and then I unshielded her".

"Why did you think that?" Kate demanded, "Do you think I enjoy torturing them? They are my family too you know".

"No Kate, I don't think that" I snapped, "but Peter was remembering the pain and it angered me. I didn't want to see you hurt him again".

She paused in her advance towards me, "Bella, I am sorry for pushing you today but look how much you have accomplished because of it. It has been worth it", I nodded, of course it was.

"Kate, touch Bella on low" Jasper said quietly and she did it with out question. Nothing happened to any of us under the shield. I sighed in relief and so did several others.

Carlisle grinned, "Kate do it on medium now and Bella try to push the shock out again". He and Jasper were exchanging a meaningful look now. Kate did it and I pushed the shock out from my shield. I could feel as the shock jumped around the room but it never touched any of us. I didn't even have to concentrate very hard to do it. It was like the shock had nowhere to go but out.

"_Amazing" Carlisle, Eleazar, Jasper, Garrett, Peter, Emmett, Tanya, and Rosalie all said at the same time. We tried it over and over again and each time I was able to deflect Kate's shock and send it around the room. Once in awhile Peter or Jasper would make me free them and they would stand there and wait for the low shock. It would bounce around and hit them at least five times before dissipating. We tried it outside and it seemed to bounce around less, but always came into contact with whoever was standing outside of my shield. Finally, they were through testing me and I was able to hunt. Practicing with my shield was draining and I found I needed to feed much more. My eyes were now the golden color of my family's and I was happy. I could see Charlie without those stupid contact lenses in. _

The next day I spent with Alice under my shield. She was trying to see what Edward was planning but the only decisions he made were when to attack and who he was personally going after. We had a little less than a month to prepare and Carlisle said that wasn't enough time to send two groups to the Amazon and Ireland for the other covens. We would have to do this on our own and they were all optimistic that we would succeed with Kate and I working together. We still had training lessons on how to kill newborns from Jasper, Peter, and Charlotte. Edward had set his sights on me and Carlisle. I could understand why he wanted revenge on me, I had betrayed him with his brother in his twisted mind. Why he wanted Carlisle was beyond me but Rose explained that Edward had always felt Carlisle held him back from becoming the great predator he should be, and Carlisle had taken Jasper's side over me and not his.

All in all our days were pretty busy with all the training. We hardly had any alone time and I missed that with Jasper. I missed spending time alone with any family member. Our relationships seemed stronger now that they each spent a decent amount of time under my shield with me and each other. We used it more and more to try and find any holes that Edward could get through. There were none so far. Wedding plans were even easier with everyone being able to hear whatever was thought out loud. I took to helping Esme and Alice was still the assistant. She couldn't be trusted to do it alone.

Everyone was under my shield one day when Alice made me release them all and keep only her. _Edward is making decisions, I need to concentrate Bella. Can you please get rid of them?_ Her eyes were closed and her visions were flying through my head. I released everyone and waited while Alice tried to find what she wanted. They were all waiting for Alice to tell them what she saw too. I growled when she stopped on one, it was of Jasper dying. "Shh Bella, it's only a possible outcome. I'm working on finding a solution so that doesn't happen" she told me. I tuned out her visions after that. I didn't want to see them anymore. Finally she opened her eyes and they sought out Jasper.

"We need to be unpredictable. It's the only we will win and all walk away from this" she told him.

"What do you mean unpredictable Alice?" he demanded.

She looked around at the family, "Edward spent decades with us, he's been in your head and has seen your memories. He knows exactly what you will do at that fight. Each and every step that you have already planned, he has planned a counter attack. We need to be unpredictable".

"What is so predictable about me?"

Alice sighed, "If any of those newborns goes after Bella, what are you going to do?" she waited but Jasper never answered her. "You would go after that vampire and he knows that. There will be newborns ready for that, they will attack you then. You will be in such a mate protective mode that you won't see them coming. It will be the same for each of us" she finished quietly.

Jasper looked at her as if a light bulb had just gone off, "So we don't protect our mates then?"

"Exactly" Alice grinned. Jasper looked at Peter, "You protect Bella and-" but Alice cut him off.

"No, no, no! That is predictable Jasper. I said unpredictable did I not?" she was glaring at him. I saw her vision then, and I understood.

"_Kate will protect me. We will need to be close to each other anyways" I said. Kate nodded in agreement and I could see Jasper waring with himself. "Fine" he agreed finally. I pulled them all back under my shield and Alice showed them who would protect who. It was the only way for this to work. We stopped for the day and got ready for Christmas. The house needed to be decorated before Charlie arrived. I was thrilled that he agreed to come spend Christmas with us. Everyone was actually thrilled to see Charlie again or for the first time ever. _

Jasper

Christmas was surprisingly relaxing. I thought for sure it would be tense with the anxiety we were all feeling from the impending fight, but once Charlie arrived it was as if there was no fight coming at all. All of our new guests got along splendidly with him. I basked in the family's happiness for those four days he was here. We switched to training at night while he was sleeping and so there was never any time for anything else.

Where Alice and Rose, and even Esme had Charlie wrapped around their fingers, Kate had him wrapped around her whole damn hand and was like the puppet master. Charlie did anything and everything she wanted, even if it wasn't him she was speaking to. Kate seemed to enjoy his company too and I was happy. He adored her and she adored him. Bella worried of course. She didn't want this life for her father and I didn't blame her but it was much too late for that. I felt it the moment they mated but I didn't have the heart to tell her. I had to find the most perfect, gentle way to do that. I doubted that Kate was even aware of that herself. I would keep my mouth shut until she realized it.

After Charlie left we went back to training full time. Bella's eyes were now the color of ours. It should have taken a few more months for her to reach that color, but she had been feeding more frequently now so they changed quicker. The shield took a lot out of her, so we always made sure she was well fed first. The day before the fight, we were finalizing our strategy before going hunting.

"If Bella shields us all from Edward when we first get there, he will run Jasper. We all need to focus on not thinking about any of our plans and letting him think it's just the 14 of us against the 43 of them. He will think they have the upper hand and they will start their attack just the way he thinks we will counter act it. Bella can put up her shield once the real action starts" Garrett was taking Alice's side on this. I sighed of course he was right, but I hated to go in there and risk someone giving away all of our secrets. Sometimes I forgot that Garrett had military experience too and he was an experienced fighter.

"How will she know when the real action starts? She's inexperienced in these situations" I argued.

I could feel the frustration rolling off of Garrett, "Someone can tell her of course".

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, but then Edward would know she was protecting us and he will send them after her. She will turn into their first priority".

Rosalie spoke up next, "So you can tell her Jasper. Out of anyone here, you probably have the most experience with these situations and Edward can't hear mate conversations".

"He can't?" Bella asked incredulously.

"No" Emmett chimed in, "Rose and I used to drive him nuts whenever we would have half a conversation in our heads". He wagged his eyebrows, "It was always so much fun".

Since I never had a mate when Edward was around, I had completely dismissed that to the back of my mind. Of course that would work.

Garrett smiled smugly, "See you can be the one who warns her". I nodded and turned to Alice for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

She did her Alice eye roll, "Their attack plans are still the same, so ours are too. Everyone knows who they have to protect and everyone must follow these plans for us to succeed".

"Okay, I guess that's it then. We don't want to be over prepared and make mistakes" Peter said as he clamped his hand on my shoulder. "Let's go hunt". We hunted for a few hours and then everyone retired to their rooms for the rest of the night. It was the first time in a month that Bella and I actually had some relaxing time to ourselves and I planned to enjoy every second of it.

Bella

Jasper and I were relaxing in the jacuzzi tub for the first time in weeks. It felt great to be in here with him again and feel him so deep inside me. We stayed in there until the water got cold and Jasper told me he wanted me in our bed. He wrapped me in a huge white towel and threw one around his waist. He carried me to our bed and laid me down in the middle of it. He quickly discarded his own towel and slowly opened mine to look at my body.

He was grinning as he leaned down to kiss my nipple. His other hand was caressing the other one and then it slowly slid down my body and I felt a finger slip inside of me. I moaned, I loved whenever Jasper touched me. He started kissing down my stomach and he spread my legs with his as he went. I could feel two fingers inside of me now and his tongue was tracing circles on my clit. I really loved when ever Jasper did this. He was amazing at it and I always looked forward to it. He removed his fingers and replaced them with his tongue. He was slowly licking me up and down and flicking his tongue in and out of me. Again and again he brought me to the edge, but never let me cross over it. My hands were tangled in his curly hair as I held his mouth there. Suddenly he was on top of me and I whined in protest.

Jasper chuckled, "Don't worry darlin'. I'm no where near finished with you down there. I just needed you to feel how hard you make me when you moan me name" He kissed me and pressed his erection into me. I moaned again and so did he. I grabbed his shaft and started pumping my hand up and down. He growled in my ear and I moved even faster. Very quickly he grabbed my hands and held them over my head as he thrust his tongue deep into my mouth. "We're doing things my way tonight Bella" he told me as he released my hands and slid back down my body. His tongue was back tracing circles around my clit while his finger moved agonizingly slow in and out of me. I whimpered in frustration and he smirked. Jasper's tongue quickly darted inside of me as his hands grabbed my hips. I tangled one of my hands back into his hair and started rubbing my clit with the other. His eyes grew wide and he quickly released one of my hips to swat my hand away and take care of it himself. I had never done that before and I could feel his shock that I did. It was my turn to smirk now and I immediately regretted it. His eyes narrowed and he slowly removed his tongue. He went even slower as he reinserted it and removed it all over again.

"Please Jasper, let me come for you" I begged him. He shook his head no and that made me shiver from the way it made his tongue move inside me. I pushed all the desire and lust I could at him and knew he would let me come now. He would never be able to resist that level of lust. I was right and he started speeding up until I cried out in relief. Before I even finished he was on top of me and inside me. I kissed him and rolled over so I was on top. He growled in pleasure and his hands started roaming all over me. I pumped up and down on him as fast as I could and just as he was about to come, I pulled up all the way so he was no longer in me.

"Oh Bella, you don't fight fair" he protested.

It was my turn to laugh, "Neither do you Major and haven't you ever heard, payback's a bitch". I smirked at him and then very slowly lowered myself back onto his shaft. He moaned and held very still. He was waiting to see what I would do to him now. I grabbed his hands and started rubbing my nipples with them. I released him and started moving up and down very slowly. I angled myself so that I could feel him as deep as he could go in me. It was intense and I was moaning in pleasure with him. I continued moving very slowly and even paused at different places on him to prolong this experience. It was amazing and I never wanted it to end. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and I slid down on him as fast as I could while squeezing his cock inside me. We both came and I went limp on top of him. He laughed as he traced the circles under my eyes.

"We're going to need to hunt again before the fight. You've had quite a workout tonight" he murmured.

I smiled, "We still have plenty of time before daylight are you so sure you want to end it already?"

He moaned as I rolled him on top of me. He pushed up on his knees a little and wrapped my legs around his shoulders. "I never said we were done yet darlin'", he told me as he thrust quickly and deeply into me.

Jasper

Before the night was over, I had taken Bella on almost every piece of furniture in our room and in every position imaginable. I just couldn't seem to get enough of her that night. Usually I couldn't stop myself but tonight was worse than any other night. I thought maybe it was a combination of the impending fight, the lack of private time these past few weeks, and all the desire and lust each couple was throwing around the house. They were all being intimate and I managed to tune them out, but their emotions weren't so easy.

My favorite part of the night was when I took her from behind while she leaned over the ottoman. I was able to watch in our full size mirror and it was the biggest turn on. Being able to see myself behind my mate as I plowed into her was burned into my memory for eternity. It was twice as hot because I was able to watch my cock go in and out of here while I watched us in the mirror. She was mine and always would be. I would never be without her and as soon as this fight was over, I would make sure she was tied to me forever.

I had the desire to make love to her in front of the fireplace in our library. I quickly picked her up while she was straddling me and started walking at a slow human pace. Luckily, our library was in our suite and we didn't have to stop and put on any clothes or worry about running into anyone. Walking with my cock still deep inside of her had become one of my favorite things to do. She would slowly move up and down as I walked and that would push us both over the edge. I had to admit, having sex as a vampire was the best part of being one. We never got tired and could do it again and again without stopping. What a shame it was to be human and need to take a break.

I laid Bella down on the plush rug in front of the fireplace on her side facing it and quickly built a fire. I laid back down behind her and wrapped my arms around her. I began kissing her shoulders and neck and she turned her face so I could kiss her lips. I thrust my tongue in her mouth while my hand snaked down her belly and plunged into her wet pussy. She moaned and my other hand began going back and forth between her nipples. I kept two fingers moving inside her as we kissed and I could tell she would be nearing the edge again soon. I removed my fingers and replaced it with my hard cock. I kept my fingers on her clit because apparently she liked that very much. I moved very slowly as my tongue lazily moved in and out of her mouth. I knew the sun would be up soon and we would have to stop to go hunting again. I quickened my pace and shifted our bodies so she was on top of me facing the other way. I loved this view and we both came within seconds of each other.

I pulled her off of me and sat up to hold her, "We need to get dressed and go hunting darlin'"

"I know but I love having you inside of me Jasper" and she kissed me. I could feel myself getting hard again but before I could act on it, Emmett was suddenly banging on the door.

"For the love of all that is holy Jasper, stop screwing my sister and get your act together. I don't know how much more of your lust I can handle". I laughed and wrapped us up in the blankets that were on the back of the couch, I knew they would come in handy some day.

I opened the door to find a very unkempt Emmett. His short curly hair was pressed to his forehead and his shirt was halfway buttoned and the best part was that his jeans were on backward. Rosalie was standing in her robe next to him and giggling as she ogled her husband. Her hair was tangled in knots and she looked like she was dazed.

Emmett scowled at us, "Look Jasper, I can usually appreciate the lust you throw around the house because it works to my advantage with Rosie; but last night was ridiculous. It was twice as strong like you were both empaths and it never let up".

Peter chimed in from his and Charlotte's guest room, "Seriously man! That was intense and I am so glad to take a break. I bet you never thought I would say that". I laughed as Garrett, Eleazar, and Carlisle agreed with him.

"Poor Tanya and Kate had to leave the house Jazz" Emmett told me. I felt kind of guilty then but not so much that I was sorry for what happened. "They will meet us in the clearing" he continued.

I nodded and then Emmett disappeared back to his room. Rosalie flung herself at us to give us each a big hug, "Thank you!" she exclaimed and she took off after Emmett. I heard Alice, Carmen, and Esme agree with Rose and I had to chuckle. Bella did too. We went back to our room and showered and got dressed for the day. I kissed her deeply before we left the room and my lust immediately spiked, I stopped when I heard Emmett say, "Oh come on. Rose please, you know I love you but I need to hunt before we do that again and you should too". Rosalie's laughter rang out through the house and the forest as she ran after Emmett. Bella and I took off after them and we hunted until Alice said it was time to head to the clearing she saw in her vision.

**A/N: PLEASE don't kill me for leaving you with a cliff hanger! I did give you quite the delicious lemon, so I think it's a fair trade :) Hope you liked it!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I'm back! Yay! Well I've been back for about 4 days but needed to recuperate. Thank you all for reading & reviewing, we hit 300 reviews. That makes my heart soar! Thanks to Jacqulyn for being a very patient beta & not getting mad at me for not sending it when I say I will. Here we go, it's the full battle in one chapter. I was going to break it up into two, but didn't want to get beaten. **** Oh, so sorry for not responding to any reviews, I haven't had time, but I appreciate each & every one.**

Jasper

We entered the clearing and formed a semi circle with me, Peter, Garrett, and Emmett at the center. Bella and Kate were to my left with Rose and Esme. Carmen, Eleazar, Charlotte, Tanya, and Alice were on the other side of Emmett. We waited in silence for Edward to approach. They came from the north and stopped on the other side of the clearing. Edward and Victoria were in the front with a male vampire in between them. The newborns were behind them and I could see each of them focusing on certain members of the family. I waited for the first attack.

Two males made eye contact and then raced forward straight to Rosalie. Carlisle lunged ahead at the exact moment one of them reached her and he ripped his head off, while Rose took care of the other. The two who were supposed to attack Emmett when he protected Rose did not have a clue of what to do. They just stood there with their eyes fixed on him, finally they decided to attack him anyways. The male and a female raced forward for Emmett. Carmen met them just as they reached Em and they both had them decapitated in a second. I could see Victoria and Edward exchange a look but I didn't bother to focus on them. The next attack was focused on Tanya and it was my turn to help her. We threw the bodies into the growing pile and Garrett lit them on fire.

Bella and Esme became the focus of the next attack. Two came racing towards Bella and two towards Esme. Kate shocked one while Bella lunged for the other and ripped his head off. She threw it and the body in the fire while Kate did the same to the one she took out. Garrett and Esme handled the two that had tried to attack her. We waited and I could feel the smugness from each one of my family members. In a matter of two minutes, Edward and Victoria had lost 10 vampires. They weren't prepared for this and I could see Victoria start to back up towards the trees they emerged from. She was going to try and escape, but there was no way I was letting her out of my sight. We would finish this once and for all.

Charlotte and Alice were easily the smallest vampires in our group and only one vampire charged forward for each of them. Peter stepped in front of Alice as she quickly flitted around him and onto the unknown vampire's back. They grinned at each other and Peter ripped off the arms while Alice took off the head. Eleazar had already helped Charlotte incapacitate her attacker. I could feel Edward's frustration and rage. I knew what he would do next, it was exactly what I would do in his shoes.

_It's really starting now. It's time to shield us. Be careful darlin'_ I thought to her. I felt the instant the shield went up and I felt Edward's complete disbelief as he lost the ability to read any of our minds. He hissed and sunk into his hunting crouch. Victoria edged even closer to the trees.

_Three seconds Kate,_ Alice told her and then the newborns started to rush forward at Edward's command. Kate touched Bella and every vampire outside of the shield crumpled to the ground. We let them stand back up and try to charge us again. Once more they all hit the ground.

"NOW!" I ordered. Rosalie, Garrett, Esme, Charlotte, Carlisle, Alice, Carmen, and Eleazar took the first line of offense and each took out a vampire and threw the body parts onto our growing pile.

The rest of the newborns, Edward, and Victoria were on their feet now. Kate touched Bella again and this time me, Tanya, Peter, Emmett, Kate, and Bella each took out a vampire. Their numbers were seriously diminished and I was eager to dispatch all of the newborns so I could focus on Victoria. Rosalie wanted Edward for herself. Alice recently had a vision of the day Edward sent those newborns to warn us. He had told them to do whatever was necessary to get his message across that he would have no mercy, including rape if they had to. That didn't sit well with any of us, but especially not Rose. We all agreed she could have him. I knew what Rose had done to the men who raped her the night her human life ended. I knew she wouldn't be that brutal to Edward because Carlisle and Esme would be present. While they knew what had to happen to Edward, they wouldn't want him to die painfully.

Suddenly there was movement in the trees and 6 huge wolves came to stand in front of Edward and Victoria. The moved stealthily across the clearing and stopped about halfway from us. _I didn't see. I didn't see. I still can't see._ I heard Alice chanting in her head as she tried to see around the wolves. I was shocked that Edward had gone to them and that they had agreed to help him. The big russet colored one had it's eyes locked on Bella and I just knew that this had to be Jacob. They stared at each other and he whined.

_Bella, do you think you can pull them under shield with us?_ Garrett asked her. I saw where he was going with this. We would have to show them our side of the story and we couldn't do that if Edward knew what we were thinking.

She frowned, _I'm not sure. I've never shielded anyone other than us and not 20 different minds at once. _I could feel her determination and her eyes searched the wolves and settled on the biggest one. He was jet black and stood at the spear point of their formation. He must be the alpha male. The instant he came under the shield, they all came under the shield. His hackles stood up and he growled. As soon as the wolves were under our protection, Edward started furiously pacing back forth.

_Sam, it's okay. I have a shield I can use to protect my own mind and the mind's of others. We would like to talk to you for a minute with out Edward hearing _Bella told him in a calm tone.

_We're listening_ Sam told her. _Edward said his family had killed you, now that we see he has lied about that, I am wondering what else he lied about._

We each took our turn showing the Sam the truth about Edward. It was over very quickly and now we waited for their decision.

_It had to be done Sam. They saved Bella's life and you know it. It may not be an existence we agree with, but they have done nothing worth breaking the treaty. This is not our fight _a voice thought.

_Jacob is right. This is not our fight, we will not fight against you but we will not help you either _Sam told us and with that the wolves stepped to the side of the clearing and sat down to watch. Edward growled when he saw this and I saw Victoria turn to run. I slipped into major mode charged after her and heard the rest of my family taking care of the rest of the newborns. I reached Victoria and pulled her arm off when I tried to stop her. She screamed in pain and wheeled around to face me. I moved quickly and ripped her head off before she could do anything else. I carried her body back to our pile and saw now that Edward was the only vampire left on their side. Rose was slowly stalking towards him but his attention was focused on the trees behind him. I looked where he was watching and my mouth dropped open when I saw a figure from my past emerge.

Bella

Things were going so well for us so far. Everything happened just as Alice saw that it would. The wolves were a big surprise to us all, but then they bowed out and we were left to deal with a very few newborns, Edward, and Victoria. It would be easy to defeat them and then my family could go back to normal. I saw the small brunette step into the clearing and was confused at who she was and why Jasper was radiating such rage now.

_Maria_ Jasper thought. Maria? The same Maria who created him?

_What the fuck is she doing here?_ Peter was just as angry as Jasper.

_She wants Jasper back, she's always wanted him back Peter _Charlotte thought back. My lips pulled back from teeth and I sunk into my hunting crouch. I would kill that bitch before I let her anywhere near **my **Jasper. Maria's eyes searched the field and she smiled when they settled on Jasper. She searched out Peter and Charlotte next and glared at them.

_She has hundreds of newborns with her. She won't leave until Peter and Charlotte are dead and Jasper agrees to go with her_ Alice thought to us in a very sad tone.

_WHY DIDN'T YOU SEE THIS BEFORE ALICE?_ Jasper shouted at her. I put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down but it didn't do any good. He shook it off and turned to glare at Alice. She shrank back and Garrett stepped in front of her to face what must have been Major Whitlock.

_Careful Garrett, the Major is in charge now and it won't be pretty if you cross him _Peter said.

_Maria was never part of any decision on Edward's part Jazz. I am so sorry_ Alice thought. _I am so sorry to all of you. We don't stand a chance against this._

_Bullshit _Tanya thought, _there's always a chance. All we need to do is keep shocking them even quicker than before and keep taking them out like we did before. We can't give up._

Edward and Maria silently waited side by side for us to make our first move.

_It will hold them off for a little while but we won't win Tanya_ Alice thought.

I could hear quiet arguing under my shield and I looked around wildly for the cause. Carlisle's eyes were fixed on the wolves and I realized it was them arguing with each other. There were so many other thoughts flying out of my family's minds that it was hard to concentrate.

_Be quiet for just a minute!_ I ordered.

Sam and what I now knew to be Jacob were arguing. Jacob wanted to help us while Sam wasn't so sure. _It's a big risk to the pack Jake, I want to help them too but we can't handle hundreds of them. It would be suicide._

_That's a load of crap Sam and you know it. Just think about it, with Bella's ability to shield and the other one being able to shock them, we will win. We can sit on the sidelines and join in when Edward least expects it. We owe the Cullen's that much for coming here to kill them._

Sam's mental voice sighed and then Alice's vision went blank and I saw she was grinning.

_It will work_ she thought happily. I looked up at Jasper and he smiled at me. _Just be careful and remember your training darlin'. I am going to slip back into the Major and I have no control over him. Don't cross my path until Peter calms me down, he knows what to do to bring me back _he thought to only me.

_You be careful too Major and you make sure that bitch knows your mine and would never leave with you. _I kissed him and he held my hand as we turned to face Edward.

_Her first line of offense is always her weakest. There will be at least 30 of them and they will be inexperienced but very strong and very hostile. They are the newest ones to our life. The second line will be a few months older but still just as strong and hostile. If she keeps to her regular style there will be at least 70 of them. The third line will be weaker but at least 150 big. And the last will be her most experienced fighters with some newborns mixed in. The numbers could be anywhere from 200 to 300 _Jasper told us. I did the math, that was at minimum 500 vampires.

He started giving orders, _Kate you will have to be quick and fierce with your gift. It has to be one right after the other with no sign of slowing. Everyone protect your backs and remember your training. Do not go after the obvious kill and make sure when you make your move that it will be a fatal one. If you need help, ask for it. Don't be a hero. _We all nodded. _Sam, I want you to try and hold out for her third line of offense. They will be comfortable enough to think you guys won't participate and it will shock them to see you join us. If you think we need help before please feel free to join in. _

Peter threw in a few more quick orders. _If I tell you to, you need to get the hell out of Jasper's way. Once he slips into the Major, he will be uncontrollable. He will kill whoever steps in his line of sight without a thought so please be mindful of that. I would hate to have to piece one of you back together because you were stupid and didn't listen to me. _

I shivered at that thought and Jasper squeezed my hand. It was time. About 35 newborns came into view and they smiled as they saw the 14 of us. They thought it would be easy. Kate waited until they were halfway through the clearing and then touched me. I sent the shock out and watched them all drop. I wondered how Edward and Maria were going to make it through receiving shock after shock but I quickly dismissed that thought and took care of a newborn that lunged at Kate. She touched me again and I sent the shock out. We had taken care of them all and we stepped back into our semi circle formation.

"Next" Maria called out and she smiled smugly.

This time I quickly counted 125. Maria must have decided to up her numbers before she came here. I hated to think of what that meant for her fourth line in her army.

_Wait longer to shock them Kate. We can take them out easier if they are closer to us_ Jasper commanded. I glanced at him and saw that his eyes were pitch black. He was standing straight and very still and was emitting no emotions whatsoever. It was like Jasper had completely disappeared when the Major showed up. I turned my attention back to the advancing newborns.

I was decapitating a newborn when I saw one lunge for Jasper and distract him while another jumped on his back. I saw red again and snarled as I flew to help him.

_NO BELLA! _I heard Peter yell but it didn't stop me. I wouldn't stop until every vampire that was a threat to **my **Jasper was dead.

_Damn it! She's just like him_ Peter thought and then I reached Jasper and grabbed the vampire hanging onto his back and flung him to the ground. I quickly pulled his arms off and then his head and tossed them all into the new pile of bodies that were burning. I looked at Jasper and saw that he was looking at me. His eyes were blacker than before but he had a smile on his face and then he turned back to keep killing. I wondered briefly what the smile was for and turned back to find Kate again. She was fighting off a newborn and inching closer and closer to Esme's back. Then they were back to back and I felt Kate's shock fly off my shield and all the vampires out of it were on the ground.

_Fascinating, you don't even have to touch Bella for it to work_ Eleazar thought to Kate.

_This will work to our advantage, just make sure you are always close to one of us Kate _Jasper commanded. _Bella come here_. I flew to his side and waited for whatever it was he wanted. I thought for a fleeting second that maybe he was mad at me for helping him but deep down I knew that would never be the case. Jasper wanted me to be able to take care of myself and my family. He had shown me how to do that and would always let me participate. I stopped myself from worrying like crazy and just waited.

_I want you here by my side. I saw the way you protected me and felt the rage you were in. You are the only person's emotions I have ever felt when I was in Major mode and it felt like you were in Major mode too. We will be great together Bella and I want you to fight by my side. _

_Thank you for your confidence Major _I told him. We waited for the next attack. Alice was getting a vision and she shared it with us all. There would 200 in this next line. Where the hell did Maria get this many vampires?

Jasper

I was in Major mode and hardly paying any attention to anything but the vampires I was killing. I was pissed when the one in front of me turned out to be a decoy for the one behind me to attack me. I wasn't inexperienced, I knew better than to turn my back on one. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Bella flying towards me and I felt her pure rage. I had never felt anyone's emotions when I was Major and it shocked me. I easily got rid of the one in front of me and turned to watch Bella take care of the one she had flung off my back. Her eyes were as black as mine were as the Major and her emotions felt similar to mine too. Normally I was incapable of thinking about anything as the Major except the fight but I was thinking clearly about Bella. She was the only one who ever reached me like this and the Major felt more in control with her by my side. It was where she belonged and where she would stay. I was able to pay attention to the rest of my family and when I saw Kate touch Esme and the shock that went out of the shield, I knew I could have Bella fight beside me. I told her what I wanted and she willingly obliged me.

Alice had a vision then of the next attack. Maria definitely had been busy over the past few years. There would be 200 vampires approaching us now. That's all we saw before her vision went blank. The wolves would join us. We waited in silence. There was no need to talk right now. They came into our line of view and this time I saw Edward moving with them. He advanced as far as the middle of the clearing and then stopped. Maria ordered them forward and I saw they would advance in groups. The first group were 20 feet away when Kate sent out her shock. All of them went down and I realized why Edward had moved forward. He was studying Kate to see how she was able to shock any of them without touching them. He studied her again and again and then commanded that they attack her.

"_That one is to die immediately!" he shouted as he pointed at Kate and fled back to Maria's side. The whole group focused on Kate and began stalking her. I could see Kate's gift was taking a toll on her and we had to do something to help her out. My mind was going over plan after plan on who we could send to hunt for her. Each choice was shot down by Alice saying it won't work. Finally Jacob spoke up, I'll do it. They will just think I'm leaving and I'm very fast._ Alice agreed it would work and Jacob took off.

Bella and I fought side by side and took out vampire after vampire. Bella was a natural and just as fierce as me when it came to fighting. Any time one tried to get close to me, she took care of it. Jacob came flying back with two huge bucks in his mouth and Kate went to feed. We would be without her for a few minutes but the wolves stepped in. Maria and Edward both growled as they saw what was happening. The wolves were very quick and very efficient. The whole third line was wiped out in a matter of minutes.

_I can't see how many are next. I am guessing that the numbers will be way more than Jasper predicted _Alice's mental voice mumbled.

_I have a feeling they will be at least double what she usually has. Kate will need to be fast and furious with her shocks for us to have a prayer of taking care of so many. As soon as you see them hit the ground advance_ Peter told everyone. The next round of vampires came out of the forest and they were impressive. Easily at least 400 of them, maybe more. The wolves came to stand at our flanks and we all prepared for what was next. The first grouping stopped halfway across the clearing and waited for us to attack them. Kate sent her shock and they hit the ground. We all rushed forward and Kate kept them incapacitated. Her shocks were repeatedly faster and stronger in intensity. The feeding helped her greatly.

More and more vampires kept entering the clearing at separate intervals. We wouldn't be able to stop this many, even with Kate's gift. I was distraught. We would definitely lose members of the family. I looked to my left and I knew I couldn't live without Bella. No matter what happened to me, I would make sure that Bella survived this. She didn't deserve to have her existence come to end like this. She deserved better, so much better. She deserved to live forever in happiness and peace. I was absolutely livid that her life might come to end like this. The Major was in full control now, but I was able to control him this time. I looked around my family and saw the despair in their eyes as well. They didn't deserve to die like this either.

_So there's no hope then?_ Bella asked just me quietly.

_I'm not sure. I don't know how we are going to survive this kind of attack. It's too much for us to handle. _

_I love you Jasper. I won't exist in a world where you are not. We survive together or we die together Jasper. It's the only way. _She pushed everything she was feeling at me and I knew she was right. I wouldn't want to exist in a world where she didn't either.

_I can't picture a world without you in it somewhere darlin' _I told her as I tore the limbs off two vampires at once and tossed them in the fire.

_So let's find a way out of this together with all of our family _she urged as she swiftly tore a head off a vampire.

We all continued to fight and then Garrett screamed in pain. I tore my eyes off the vampire I was holding and saw his arm had been torn off. Alice released the vampire she was killing and charged the one who took Garrett's arm. She had him beheaded in 2 seconds flat. Carlisle came over and helped to reattach it as quickly as he could. Next Emmett lost a leg and Bella's shield turned into something else. When Garrett's arm was torn off she was livid with rage just like me and probably the rest of the family. Then with Emmett's leg, her rage turned to pure murderous hate and her shield went from just protecting our minds to protecting our bodies as well. It was a clear force around us but none of the vampires could penetrate it.

_Bella, how did you do that?_ 12 different voices asked. I stayed quiet, Bella wasn't going to answer any of them. She was in a place that I understood all too well. She was too far gone to be rational or cooperative. Her eyes were black as coal and her body was shaking.

_Her shield is going to take too much out of her. She needs to feed _Eleazar thought. One of the wolves disappeared and came back with a bear. He shoved it me and I placed it in front of Bella. She drank greedily from it, but her eyes never changed from the jet black they were. Her shield was stronger than ever though, so I knew it had helped.

_This will be too easy to handle these idiots now_ Charlotte thought. Kate's shocks were even more intense as they bounced off Bella's new, strong shield. It was taking longer for the vampires to get back onto their feet.

_No more taking the time to burn them. _I commanded. _You rip them apart and keep moving for the next ones. Don't waste any time on the body parts. It will take awhile for the parts to drag themselves back together anyways. Just keep moving. Maria is MINE. _

Nobody argued with me. Rose and Carlisle had reattached Emmett's leg and he would have a small limp for a little bit. I was sure he was in pain from the sting of the venom, but he was completely focused on the fight. We moved forward and the vampires were being destroyed as fast as we could move. After what happened to Emmett and Garrett mates were now working together. That left Tanya and Kate to protect each other and they would be fine. A sister's bond was almost as strong as a mates. I knew that from the way Bella, Alice, and Rose all protected each other.

The last of Maria's army came through the tree line and this time Edward advanced right behind them. Maria growled when she saw this and I heard Peter's mental chuckle. _What in the hell can you possibly find funny at a time like this?_ Emmett thought.

_Can't you see it? Maria and Edward have mated. Look at the way she's getting ready to come after him. That must be why Alice couldn't see anything Maria was doing. Edward and her planned it in their mate conversations. Alice must not be able to see them._

_I don't recall you having any "feelings" about this _Alice snarled back. She really hated when she couldn't see things.

I didn't have time to ponder this. There was only about 100 vampires left and we were making quick work out of disposing of them. I wanted Maria. I would kill that bitch for all she had done to my family. She saw me approaching and smiled, "Jasper, why are you fighting this? You know you want to join my army again. Edward and I will be so pleased to have you".

I heard Edward growl in protest and I laughed. "I'm not joining you Maria. I've found my family and my mate and I'm staying here".

She frowned, "Of course your mate could come with you. I can see she is just as good a fighter as you are. You two will be of great use to me".

"It will never happen" I told her. We were circling each other now and I saw Edward hesitate. His need to protect his mate would be overwhelming his desire to take on Carlisle or Bella. His eyes were locked on Carlisle's as he froze in place.

Maria lunged for me and I dodged her attack. I felt Bella's rage intensify even more and now she was advancing on Maria. Edward started moving towards Bella and Rose charged him. She tackled him and Maria growled in response as her eyes flashed to what was happening.

"No Maria! Kill Jasper, I'll be fine. I can handle my ex-sister. She's no match for me" Edward told her. Rosalie growled and ripped Edward's arm off. Maria watched in horror and then her eyes flashed to me. She began dodging my attacks and the last time I lunged for her, I went flying past. I tried to use too much speed and force and it propelled me past her. I turned around just in time to see her reach Bella and bite her shoulder. Bella screamed in pain from the venom and my vision turned completely red. I could hear Peter yelling from somewhere to my left, "STAY OUT OF HIS WAY!" He lurched forward and knocked whoever it was between me and Bella out of the way. I wasn't paying any attention to anything but Bella. My eyes were locked on her as I charged forward. Her shield was gone from around only her, but I didn't have time to question why.

I could feel the venom pooling in my mouth and dripping down my chin. I threw Maria away from Bella and crouched in front of her. I would always think of Bella as my equal but I would also do anything to protect her. Right now I was in protective mode.

_Why is your shield gone from around you?_ I snapped at her as I stayed in my position blocking Maria from her.

_I threw it away from my body and completely around you when I saw Maria lunge at you. _

_I'm fine, now please put it back around you. _She did as I asked and I relaxed a tiny bit.

Maria backed up until she was back to back with Edward who was slowly being stalked by a very determined Rosalie. There were very few vampires left and the wolves and some of my family were starting to gather and burn up the limbs of the dead ones. I stalked towards Maria and the panic in her eyes delighted me. She finally got to see the Major coming for her and I wanted to enjoy every moment that I took to destroy her. My eyes were locked on Maria and I heard Edward scream in pain as Rose ripped another chunk of his body off. I refused to look up to see what it was. Maria turned around in a panic and tried to help Edward but Rosalie knocked her away as she ripped off Edward's left leg. I could tell it was taking everything Rose had to rip off whole pieces of his limbs instead of chunks like she wanted. I could feel her total concentration and knew she was trying to make this as easy as possible for our parents. Even though she truly believed like the rest of us that he didn't deserve any mercy, she wouldn't disappoint Carlisle and Esme that way. Edward yelled at Maria to worry about me and her wide eyes turned back to me and I could see pure horror. The Major really enjoyed that.

Emmett made his way over to Rose, even though we all knew she didn't need any help. It must have been killing him to stay away from her during a fight. Edward was finally dead and the rest of the vampires were burning. My family and the wolves all backed off to watch me and Maria. Peter was warning them to stay out of my way and I could hear him wondering how to get Bella safely out of my way. As if I would ever hurt her? Even in the state I was in, I would never let any harm come to **my **Bella.

Maria lunged for me and I ducked out of the way. Bella reached forward and ripped Maria's arm off. She screamed in pain and retreated. Bella stealthily stepped in front of me and I heard Peter's mental warning to her.

_Stay out of his way Bella. It's not safe._

Bella rolled her eyes in a very Alice like way, _Shut up Peter! I'm fine, he won't hurt me._

Maria and Bella began to circle each other and Bella lunged forward to rip her other arm off. I went around Bella and reached for Maria's head, "You'll never make him as happy as I did" she told Bella.

Bella snorted, "You're right. I'll make him happier, bitch". With that I ended Maria's life.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Look how much I love ya'll! Another chapter already. Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews! I tried to answer them all, I'm sorry if I missed you. It wasn't done intentionally! Okay, I began this chapter last week & it took me for surprise too when I wrote it, so I hope you enjoy it. I hope you all are breathing again & have calmed down some from the battle. The next chapter is being written as fast as I can type. Sorry for the long a/n & for any errors you may find. Jacqulyn was my beta, & was tired so she's not sure there were any & I got post happy & decided to just go with it! Much love to Keeper of the Covenant for always guessing what's coming next! It keeps me on my toes trying to fool you **

Emmett

Bella and Jasper fighting side by side was definitely a sight to see. It was like Major and Majorette in control. Was that even a word? I didn't know but it seemed to fit Bella. The fight was finally over and I was relieved. I enjoyed a good fight as much as I ever had, but this one had been brutal. In the end, we killed somewhere around 1,000 vampires. I was extremely happy that none of us had died in the fight. Yes it sucked and hurt like hell to have my leg ripped off and I'm sure Garrett was still in pain from having his arm ripped off. If those were the only injuries, I would take it. It was way better than any alternative.

My only regret was that Edward's death was so short and seemed like it happened in the background of everything. I wish I could have inflicted more pain than Rose had, but Carlisle and Esme would be disappointed in us for that. I understood why Rose ended his life as fast she did, she didn't want our parents to suffer any more at his hands. I sighed and then I chuckled to myself as I looked at Alice who was rubbing her arm from Peter shoving her out of the way of Jasper. She was ticked about that.

_Peter, there was no need to be so rough with me. He wouldn't have hurt me you know. I did see that _She angrily thought to him.

Peter laughed and Garrett gave him a dirty look which stopped him in his laughing. I took a moment to take a deep breath, even though it wasn't necessary. Sometimes it just felt nice to do human like things. I sniffed the air as a scent registered in my mind. It was human blood. I knew that scent too. I just couldn't place it.

_Do you smell that?_ I asked. Everyone stopped what they were doing and sniffed.

_Human blood? _Carlisle asked.

_It smells familiar but something is masking the full effect of it _Carmen thought. It hit me then whose blood it was. I charged towards the smell and knew my family had heard it when I thought the name. _Charlie._ It was Charlie's blood, I was sure of it. I reached a small pond about 10 miles away from where we were. I was the first one there, but Bella was right behind me. Charlie was laying on a blanket next to the pond.

I rushed to his side and his eyes fluttered open, "Emmett" he said softly. I could see his injuries and Bella knelt down next to me. "Bella" he said as his eyes focused on her.

"Dad what happened to you?" she asked. Her eyes were still the jet black they had been on the battlefield. She needed to go hunting and soon.

Her force field was up around us again and her eyes were wildly searching the forest.

"Edward took me here and attacked me. He said I would be dead by the time you found me and that you would have to suffer the guilt forever. He kept saying that even if he died, you would pay for eternity for what you had done to him" Charlie explained. His breathing was more difficult now and I knew we were running out of time. The rest of the family had reached us by then and I heard them all growl at this information.

Kate was suddenly in front of us, pushing us away from Charlie. She crouched protectively in front of him and I grinned as Bella gasped. Kate and Charlie had mated. Right on!

"Kate, I swear if you don't move away from my father, I will rip your damn head off" Bella warned her as she sunk into her crouch.

Carlisle moved next to Bella, "Kate, we are running out of time. We need to ask Charlie what he wants and if he wants you, then it needs to be done very quickly". Kate backed off and let Carlisle and Bella move forward.

"Dad, we can save you but only if it is what you want" Bella told him.

"I'll become like you?" Charlie asked.

"Yes" Carlisle answered, "but it will hurt Charlie. It will burn for about three days. I don't have my bag to give you any morphine first".

Charlie looked at Kate now, "I'll get to stay with you forever Katie right?"

Kate smiled hugely, "Absolutely and Bella too".

"Alright, I'm ready. Go ahead and make me a vampire", There were several gasps from my family. I was unsurprised that Charlie had come to this conclusion, he was just as smart as Bella but I had to ask how he figured it out.

"Charlie, how the hell-" I began but he interrupted me, "I've heard all of Billy's legends Emmett. It wasn't hard to figure out who you guys were in the story, although he never named your family as the cold ones".

Bella kissed Charlie's forehead and said, "I love you dad and I'll be here when you wake up". She moved back to stand by Jasper and grasp his hand. I knew it would be hard for Bella to watch Carlisle change Charlie. It would be hard for any of us, but I was freaking happy as hell. Charlie was going to become one of us and we could keep him forever. He would be a part of the family and we would never have to lose him. Bella smiled at me as she listened to my thoughts and I grinned back.

Kate had to be restrained by Garrett, Eleazar, Tanya, Peter, and myself. She fought like hell and even tried to shock us all. Bella pulled the shield away from Kate so that none of us got hurt. Carlisle pushed all the venom he could into Charlie's system and then we carried him home. The wolves followed and stayed outside for the duration of Charlie's change. Jacob had phased into human form and said they wanted to speak with Bella before they left, but she refused to leave Charlie's side until he woke up. Jasper and I even had to go hunting for her and bring back the animals alive. That was fun at least. That was the only time we did that for her. Jasper had insisted she go hunting but she wouldn't budge from Charlie's side that first day.

Bella and Kate both sat with Charlie the entire time he was changing. Bella would leave to hunt and Kate wouldn't even do that. They would take turns talking to him and telling him what he turned into and what to expect when he woke up. Jasper hung around to monitor Charlie's emotions and make sure he wasn't in too much pain. He said Charlie was just like Bella and kept the pain hidden from him except for once in awhile he would let a scream out. Bella and Kate would both freeze and then begin talking to him again after a few minutes. Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar went back home to wait for Irina. She called and said she was coming now. She was no longer upset and had a huge surprise for them. They were sad to leave Kate but they knew her and Charlie would visit.

"Yes! Oh Jasper that's a lovely idea!" I heard Alice call out. Sometimes I hated when she saw our decisions before we could tell anyone about them. Jasper chuckled, "Thanks Ali". Alice came flitting in the room then and I scowled at her. She made a face and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Real mature shortie", I said as I made one back at her. She burst into laughter and lightly punched me in the arm. "What's going on?", I asked her.

"You will just have to wait and see" she smirked and I mussed her hair as she danced past me.

"EMMETT!" she pouted as she flitted off to go fix it. I was laughing and Rose was smiling too but trying not to laugh.

I heard Jasper go upstairs into Carlisle's study. "Hey dad, can we go for a quick hunt?".

"Yes, I'd love to" Carlisle replied.

"Be quick, you only have a half hour until Charlie wakes up", Alice announced.

I heard both Bella and Kate sigh in relief and Bella said, "Thank you, Alice".

"See Emmett, some people appreciate when I just tell them things" Alice huffed. I laughed and Peter and Charlotte came in from hunting. They were hanging around for a little while. I liked them and it would be nice to have some more reinforcements around in case the Volturi decided to come find out what happened to Edward. That was a decision Alice was always watching out for. We didn't want to face them at all, but especially not if we had no warning for them.

Jasper and Carlisle came back after only 15 minutes and they were both smiling hugely, smug jerks. I hated to be the last to know anything and I threw that feeling at Jasper. He just smiled even more so I went over by Rose to hold her hand and sulk. I missed Rosie and our alone time together. We hadn't been alone since the night before the battle. I smiled as I remembered what all we did that night. I lost in those memories when I heard Jasper mutter, "Emmett, can you reign in the lust a little?" I laughed and pulled Rose to my lap. I was thinking about taking her to our room when Alice interrupted.

"It's almost time" she announced and we all headed upstairs to greet our newest family member.

Charlie

The pain was horrible. That was the only thing I could focus on. I lost track of time and everything else as my body burned. I knew Kate and probably Bella were staying by my side, so I tried to be strong and keep it controlled; but it was hard. Every now and then I could hear myself screaming and then I would have to start the control exercise all over again.

I was relieved when the only thing burning was my heart. I figured it was almost time for me to wake up now and that kept me from doing any more screaming. What good was it doing anyways? Finally, my heart thudded to a stop and I knew I was a vampire now. I could hear everything around me and it was a little unnerving.

I opened my eyes and realized that this was the first time I was ever really seeing anything. Everything was crisp and clear. My gaze focused on the door and I sprang up into a crouch. It all happened so quickly, it felt as if only a fraction of a second had passed. Jasper and Emmett were in the doorway with Peter, Garrett, and Carlisle behind them. They were the reason I felt I had to defend myself I realized as I took in their concerned faces. I straightened up and really looked at them. Emmett was grinning hugely of course, and Jasper was smiling as well. I noticed all these crescent shaped scars on Jasper's face and the parts of his arms that were exposed. I made a mental note to ask him about those later. If I didn't already know what a good person he was, I would have been intimidated by him. My eyes searched past the men as I sought out both my daughter and my love.

Bella had always been an exceptionally beautiful girl to me and when she changed and I was still human, I thought her even more beautiful. Now with my new eyes, beautiful didn't even begin to describe her. She was amazing. She smiled at me and I grinned back. Next I focused on Kate and she was just as beautiful to me. Maybe even more so because she was my mate. I vaguely remembered hearing her use that term when she was sitting with me. I took in the rest of the female faces too. Alice was grinning from ear to ear just like Emmett and I took in how small and fragile she seemed. Esme and Charlotte were both equally stunning in their own way, but Rosalie was breath taking. She always had been to me, but now I realized how much my human eyes had missed. Emmett was one lucky guy, not that I was jealous or complaining in any way about my Katie.

I waited in silence as they all stared back at me. Carlisle was the first to speak, "Charlie, I know this is a lot to take in, we won't hurt you".

"I know" I answered and paused as I heard the slightly deeper timber of my new voice. Bella shoved Jasper and Emmett out her way and I held my arms open to hug her. Everything I heard her and Kate talk to me about while I was burning suddenly came rushing back to me, and I tried to be gentle as I squeezed her to me. They said I would be unbelievably strong and I tried not to hurt her.

She pulled away from me, still smiling, "Dad, I'm so happy you're finally awake".

"Me too kid" I answered smiling back. Kate was the next to hug me and I was so happy to hold her in my arms. I still wasn't sure how this mate thing worked, but I knew I loved Kate with every fiber of my being.

"Amazing" Jasper said, "he's just as controlled as Bella was when she first woke up. Carlisle, it must be a Swan thing, not a being prepared thing like you thought". I looked up, I wasn't acting normal?

Carlisle was grinning, "Yes, it would appear it is a Swan thing son. Charlie didn't know nearly anything about newborns like Bella did".

"Newborn?" I asked as my confusion settled in.

Emmett laughed, "Yup, you're a newborn vampire Charlie. Hate to break it to ya, but you should be throwing a fit and trying to hunt down anything with a pulse instead of having a rational conversation with us. You Swans are weird". Everyone laughed and I realized once he mentioned it that I was thirsty. There was a dull ache in my throat that was suddenly burning.

"Let's go hunting and we can talk about everything you need to know" Kate told me as she grabbed my hand. I nodded and followed her to the window. I turned around when I heard the whole family moving behind me. I raised an eyebrow, did they do everything together?

Bella laughed as she took in my expression, "We're only coming to make sure you are okay on your first trip dad. If it will make you feel better, some of us can stay behind?"

I shook my head as this made sense, "No, it's okay. I want to learn as much as I can as fast I can. It will be better if every one comes". We took turns jumping out the window then and I followed them deep into the forest. We hunted for hours as everyone took their turn telling me how they had changed and what to expect as a newborn. We discovered I really liked grizzly bears and I did enjoy playing with my food like Emmett. He was happy as a clam when they told him we could hunt together then. I was happy too, I always enjoyed spending time with Emmett and could definitely see us hunting together.

I was mesmerized as they each told me their story. The fact that Carlisle had such restraint to save so many of them and the way he never hunted a human, made me want to be like him. I was extremely happy to hear how some of them had slipped up and even that Peter, Charlotte, Garrett, Alice, Jasper, and Kate had all hunted humans at one point. I admired Rosalie, Bella, and Carlisle for never drinking human blood. The restraint they must have to do that! I wanted to be like them, but knew none of them would hold it against me, if I ever slipped up. I would try my hardest not to.

I was a mess by the time we made it back to the house and I had so much information passed on to me that my new brain felt a little overloaded. I sighed with relief when it seemed like they were all finally done talking.

"Dad, I have something I need to show you. It may freak you out, but please remember it's just me doing it" Bella told me. I nodded and suddenly I could hear every one's thoughts around me. I gasped in shock and then it was gone. I looked at my daughter curiously.

"You know some of us have special gifts" she began.

"Yes, you all explained Jasper can control emotions, Alice sees things, Kate can shock people, and Peter feels things" I recounted.

Bella nodded eagerly, "yes, and I can shield people and their minds. Whoever is under my shield can hear everyone else's thoughts". I gazed at my daughter in amazement. I always knew she was destined for greatness, but this was beyond my wildest dreams.

"So that was you shield I felt around me? And that's why I heard what everyone was thinking, you pulled them under too?" I tried to clarify what she told me with what I had felt.

"Yes" she answered simply. I felt my chest soar with pride. My Bella was more exceptional than I ever thought possible.

"I feel the same way about her" Jasper told me as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Bella, you have to do that again, but not today. I feel like I should be exhausted from all that has happened and all that I learned".

They all chuckled with me.

"You and Kate have a guest room all ready for you on the first floor" Esme told me as she patted my hand. "I have plans for a new addition to be put on the house soon, so you guys will have a private suite like the rest of us".

"Esme you don't have to do that" I tried to argue.

Carlisle laughed and held up his hand, "You're family now Charlie and Kate always has been considered one of us. It is our pleasure to do it and trust me you won't be able to stop my wife now that she has started planning".

I nodded as I thought this over, "Thank you Esme, Carlisle".

"It's no trouble at all" Esme answered, "now if you will excuse us, my husband and I would like to spend some time alone together", with that they both flitted out of the room. Peter and Charlotte excused themselves next and I saw Alice and Garrett inching towards the door after them. I felt a huge spike of lust fill the room and I glared at Jasper as he kissed Bella. Emmett and Rosalie erupted into laughter as they saw where I was looking.

Kate snuggled closer to my side, "Charlie, you're going to have to just come to terms with that if you plan on staying here for any length of time" she gestured to where Bella and Jasper were sheepishly looking at me.

I groaned, "I know you are all grown up and an immortal creature and all Bella, but I really do hate thinking about you and Jasper doing anything like that. It's going to take awhile to get used to".

She smiled, "I know dad, don't worry I can shield us until you have a better handle on it" she was looking down as she finished. I knew if we both could blush, we would have been bright red.

"What the hell little sis? You can shield that from us?" Emmett demanded as he scowled at her. Bella just nodded while grinning at him. "You know, you could have done that the night before the battle, it would have been greatly appreciated".

Rose elbowed him, "Now, where in the hell would be the fun in that be?" she waggled her eyebrows suggestively and I saw just how much alike the two of them were. They were made for each other.

Emmett flung her up over his shoulder and she squealed as he took off running.

"You have to learn to get used to that too" Kate muttered as she rolled her eyes. I saw Bella and Jasper inching towards the door and I was suddenly anxious to be alone with Kate for the first time.

"Just go" I mumbled to them as I leaned down to kiss Kate. They ran out of the room and I carried Kate to our guest room.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry for the long break! I kind of ran out of steam on this story, my beta had surgery, and I had to work overtimes; but I'm back on track now **** Enjoy & please read the second author's note at the end. It's important! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews as always! You rock! Thanks Jacqulyn for being a wonderful beta **

Carlisle

The battle was over, my first son was dead, Charlie's change was complete, and finally my wife and I could enjoy some alone time together to grieve. I adore and love each of my children and am so grateful that they choose to stay with us, but Edward was my first companion. It was going to take a long time for me to come to terms with his death. I would forever be grateful to my wonderful daughter Rosalie for making his death as quick as she could. I heard her thoughts under Bella's shield as she killed him and knew she wanted him to pay for everything he had done to us since he turned into the dark monster he used to fight against. The instant she thought of me and Esme, I was relieved. I knew then that she would get it over with as quickly as she could for us.

I sighed as I heard the rest of my family enjoying their alone time with their mates. My Esme snuggled closer to me and rested her head on my chest, "They will grieve in their own time, Carlisle" she told me. "You know once they release all their anger about him and what he has done, they will feel it. We are all sad about what happened to Edward, but he wasn't the same person that we knew before".

I smiled at her as I wrapped my arms around her, "I know Esme, but it doesn't make it any easier or lessen any of my guilt. I should have done differently by him, I should have tried harder to stop him when he became so enraged about Bella and Jasper".

Esme lifted her head to look me in the eyes, "Edward made his own choices Carlisle. He claimed to only keep Bella around as a pet of sorts, he tried to kill me, he sent vampires here to rape and kill our daughters, he brought hundreds of vampires here to kill us all, and he left Charlie to die so Bella would feel guilty for eternity. He wasn't upset about Jasper loving Bella, he was upset because he thought Bella belonged to him. You did the best you could".

I kissed my wife and realized she was right. I was angry when I thought of all the bad things Edward had done to us. I would grieve for the son I had lost months ago, not the one who died today. That wasn't my son in that field, it was a stranger with his face. I was grateful to have such a loving wife and family and I would enjoy them forever.

"I guess I have to have two more crests made for Kate and Charlie" I smiled. I was so happy that Kate had finally found her mate and happy that it was Charlie. He deserved happiness too and even though I hated that he had to become one of us to have it, I was relieved that we wouldn't have to say goodbye to him someday. It would be too hard on all of us, especially Bella and Emmett.

Esme's laughter filled the room, "Yes, I guess you will. I wonder how long Peter and Charlotte plan to stay, maybe you should have two made for them as well. Even if they don't stay with us all the time, they truly are members of this family".

"I suppose you are right, as always my dear. I'll call tomorrow and have them made right away".

"Carlisle, what did Jasper want with you earlier?" Esme asked curiously. I knew my wife and knew it must have been bugging her all day not to know. I would let Jasper make this announcement to the rest of the family when he was ready, so I told her in our mate way.

She smiled hugely _That's a wonderful idea and I love that you are willing to do that._

_I'm just honored that he asked that of me and can't wait to tell everyone else _I answered her excitedly.

Esme smiled at me and I put my grieving for Edward aside so I could focus on my wife and spend the rest of the night reconnecting with her. The past few days had taken a toll on us, but our relationship was stronger than ever. It was time to enjoy each other and worry about what would come in the future tomorrow.

Alice

I couldn't quite put my finger on what was bothering me about Aro's decisions. He was so indecisive and I felt like it was to purposely keep me out of them. He would be wondering by now why Edward hadn't returned to Italy and it was only a matter of time before he came looking for answers. I could see him questioning Carlisle about it, but never any more details. I had no idea when they would come or what the outcome of that visit would be. Even under Bella's shield, I couldn't see. That frustrated me greatly. When it was Edward I was looking for, once I was under her shield, everything came clear as day to me. Well, everything except the whole mating with Maria thing. Did Aro have a mate? Was he making all his plans in their mate conversations so that I couldn't see them? That unnerved me to no end, I needed to see what would happen. My family was depending on it, I was depending on it. I sighed as I gave up thinking about it for the rest of the night and just enjoyed being in Garrett's arms.

We had made our way to our suite hours ago and I relished our alone time together. In just a few short months we would be married and able to take an extended honeymoon somewhere alone. As much as I loved my family, it would be so nice to just be alone with each other for a few months. We never had been alone for an extended period of time. After we returned to Forks, we were always with the family.

"What are you thinking about my love?" Garrett quietly asked me.

I raised my head to smile at him, "How great our honeymoon will be" I answered as I waggled my eyebrows in a very Emmett-like fashion. Garrett laughed and hugged me closer to him.

"It definitely will be nice to enjoy some alone time with you. I will be very happy to not have any drama for a long time as well".

I laughed mischievously, "Are you sure you don't want any drama? I think I am quite able to stir some up with these wedding plans?"

Garrett broke into a fit of laughter and it was several minutes before he was able to control himself again. Finally he was able to ask, "Are you sure you want to mess with the Majorette that way? I have a feeling she might just pull off a limb or something if you did anything too outlandish". Emmett's nickname for Bella looked like it was going to be sticking around.

"Hmm, I suppose you are right about that. I would hate to be the one on the receiving end of a butt kicking by her" I conceded. We spent the rest of the night just talking and making love. It was absolutely perfect. I would worry about the Volturi tomorrow and just enjoy tonight.

Peter

I was in no hurry to go home. I knew Charlotte wasn't either. We both always enjoyed the Cullen's company, but this time it was different. We had fought side by side with them and I felt like that made us closer somehow. It had changed the dynamic of our relationships and I hoped we could stay for a little while longer. I wanted to be here until at least through the weddings. I had no indication of when the Volturi would show up and didn't want to leave the family to deal with them alone. Who knew how pissed off Aro would be when he found out Edward was dead? Aro liked to collect vampires with powers and letting Edward come back here was a huge risk on his part. Edward must have bargained something big for Aro to agree to that and Alice saw Edward's decision to return to Italy. It was what he was planning, and I just knew Aro had to know that too. I hoped we could avoid their visit until after the weddings, but I kind of doubted that. I just wished my gift would come through and give us any indication of when they were coming.

"What's wrong?" my beautiful wife asked me.

I smiled at her, "Nothing, love. I just don't like not knowing what may or may not happen with the Volturi. I feel vulnerable and you know how I don't like that".

Charlotte laughed, "Yes, I do think you have mentioned that once or twice before. Maybe even a few hundred times".

I laughed with her at that. She was very right about me saying that hundreds of times since I met her.

She smiled her most suggestive smile at me, "I bet I can think of a few ways to make you forget about the Volturi tonight".

"Oh yea, what ways would that be?" She launched herself on top of me and I decided to forget all about our troubles with the Volturi for tonight and just enjoy my wife. We could worry about them tomorrow.

Rosalie

Since Emmett and my suite were the closest to Jasper and Bella's we always got to experience their emotions almost as strongly as they did. Jasper was very good at controlling his emotions most of the time, but it seemed like whenever they were intimate, his lust was projected full force into the house. Bella's shield was up for the most part tonight, but every once in awhile she would lose control of it and the lust would hit our room with a renewed passion. Emmett and I were enjoying our time together. We were making plans for what we would do after the weddings and the happy couples went on their honeymoons. Usually after one of our weddings, all the couples in the family took a vacation to be alone together. I figured Esme and Carlisle would definitely be doing that this time, so Emmett and I decided we should too. We were right in the middle of purchasing our airline tickets when Bella's shield went down and the lust hit us full force. Needless to say, airline tickets were forgotten for a long time.

"How's your leg?" I asked my wonderful husband.

He grinned, "All healed up Rosie". He stopped to think for a second, "Wait, I really mean, it hurts still a little bit. I think you need to take care of me" he stuck out his lower lip and pouted.

I laughed, "Em, you know pouting doesn't work on me. Maybe you should re-think your tactics".

"Very true" he pondered for a minute. "Well then my lovely, beautiful wife, I think it was total bad ass how you handled yourself on the battle field that day babe".

It was my turn to grin at him, "Way to stroke my ego Emmett. You know that always works on me", I giggled as he began to kiss my neck again. That is how we spent the remainder of the night. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

Charlie

Kate and I were spending a wonderful first night together. I tuned out all the other sounds in the house, I really didn't want to have to think about some of those sounds being my daughter and her future husband. Maybe instead of having Esme add on to the house, Kate and I could buy our own house near here or have one built on the property. The property was huge and I had a feeling Esme would understand my feelings on that.

I asked Kate what she thought. She smiled her wonderfully, beautiful smile that seemed to only be reserved for me, "I think that is a great idea. We could be close to the family and not have to worry about you and Bella always being embarrassed around each other". I chuckled at how right she was about that.

"That's very true, Jasper probably won't be able to handle all that embarrassment floating around" I told her.

Kate laughed, "Yes, that is very true. Charlie, I have to admit, I am so proud of the way you have taken to our life. You seem to be such a natural at it. Just like Bella, from what I've heard about her change".

I nodded seriously and frowned, "Thanks Katie".

Kate traced my frown with her finger, "What's wrong Charlie?"

"I don't want you to think I regret my decision, but do you think there was any way I would have been able to save Bella from this life?"

"I think this is a conversation you should be having with Bella, but in my opinion no. You wouldn't have been able to save her from this. It is a life she chose, she wanted this. Bella's known the truth about this family since practically the beginning from what I've heard and it something she has never been scared of".

"I guess that makes sense. Bella's always stuck with any decision she's ever made. I will talk to her about very soon though. I would love to hear her own prospective on this. I guess I didn't get everything I wanted to know out of her story about her change today". I kissed Kate deeply and decided that would be the end of our conversation about this tonight. The rest could wait until tomorrow.

Bella

Jasper and I had spent an amazing night together. It was the first time we were alone since before the battle and we each relished every moment. Now I held his hand as we sat down in our library with Jacob. He wanted to talk to us both and so here we sat looking at each other.

"I'm sorry Bella. I never should have given you that dumb ultimatum and made you choose between us. I can see that Jasper makes you very happy and that's all I've ever wanted for you. It was selfish of me to ask you to pick one of us".

I smiled at him, "I understand why you did it Jake. I wish we could have been friends this whole time, but at least now we can be".

Jake flashed his grin at me, "Yes, we sure as hell can be. I'm also sorry that we came here with the intent on killing you and your family. Well, killing your family actually. Edward had us convinced you were dead because of them. He really was quite persuasive. After I heard that you died from Charlie, I always wondered if you joined the Cullen's and I should have held onto that thought when Edward showed up".

"Jake, it's not your fault. Edward was very talented and manipulative when he needed or wanted to be. The important thing is that you know the truth now and hopefully our families can agree to keep the treaty still".

"I've already talked it over with Sam and the treaty is intact. We don't see your being turned as a violation of it. Clearly the Cullen's did it to save you from Edward and the treaty has not been broken in our eyes".

I felt Jasper relax at my side. We all had been fearing that they would still consider my change a treaty violation and to hear Jake say it wasn't, was a huge relief. We wouldn't need to worry about the wolves coming after us.

"And Charlie's change?" I asked.

Jake rolled his eyes, "Well, I thought it would be obvious to you, but I guess not. When does Bella ever get the obvious?" he joked.

I laughed at that and Jasper chuckled, "Yes, the blatantly obvious always seems to miss her".

I scowled at him, "Thanks Jake, it means a lot to the whole family that there's not going to be a war between our families. We appreciate everything you did for us in the fight the other day too".

"Don't mention it, we're just glad we could help get rid of that jerk and all his minions. Anytime you need anything Bella, you just have to call. That offer is extended to your entire family, just call".

I smiled at him, "That's generous of you all. Please tell Sam thank you as well".

"I will, I guess I better get going. We need to head back to La Push. It makes us anxious to be away for so long". I stood up to hug my former best friend good bye and then walked him out. He said goodbye to the rest of the family and then joined his pack and they were gone. I knew I would invite them to the wedding and that made me smile. I was happy that Jake was finally back in my life and I hoped he would stay there for a long time.

A few hours later, my dad asked me if I wanted to go hunting with him. I said yes and after saying goodbye to Jasper, we were off. After cooking so many dinners for Charlie when I was still human, this felt oddly familiar. Of course we never had live game involved in any of our meals, but the meal part felt the same. I could tell he had something he wanted to talk about and so I let him take his time bringing up whatever it was. We each hunted two deer before he started.

"Bells, I know you are happy and love Jasper and the rest of them, but I need to ask you something".

"Go ahead dad".

"Would I have been able to save you from this life if I had tried?" he asked seriously.

I looked him in the eyes, "No, I don't think you would have been able to".

He nodded solemnly. I decided to tell him everything that I hadn't before, including what I knew about Alice's visions of me and Jasper. "Dad, it's not your fault. This life was chosen for me before I even knew what or who the Cullen's were. Alice saw a vision when she met Jasper of him being happy with someone else but she could never see who that was until Edward made the decision to leave me. It was me in her vision dad, don't you see, this life was always meant for me".

Charlie smiled a little, "That's a relief to hear. I've wondered if maybe I had done something differently or tried to stop you, you might still be human and none of this would have happened".

"I'm glad I'm a vampire Dad, and that you are too. I wouldn't trade my new life for anything in the world. I love Jasper with every fiber of my being and I'll always be with him forever now. I don't know if I've said it enough before, but thank you for everything you have ever done for me. You are the world's best dad and now I get to keep you forever". I reached out and hugged him, it was easier talking emotions like this with him now. We had been through so much together recently, that the words just flowed out.

He squeezed me back, "I'm glad I get to stay with you forever too, kid. I wonder how the Cullen's family dynamics will be when we ever move to a town. I would like to see you graduate high school for the first time still you know".

I laughed, "I'm sure you will see it more than once. Come on let's go back". I grabbed his hand and we ran back to our waiting family.

**A/N: Okay, what happens with the rest of the story is up to you. I have two endings in mind, but I need to know how you would feel about a sequel before I do any more writing. So, would you be interested in a sequel? I wasn't planning one, but it sprang to mind, so here we are. Please let me know & thank you all for sticking with me through this one so far!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews & votes! By popular demand, there will be a sequel. Don't worry, we still have a few more things to work out in this one before I end it. Thanks to Jacqulyn for pre-reading as always. Enough of my babble, let's get on with the weddings. **

**Disclaimer- I own nothing but the story. **

Jasper

Bella was more and more depressed as the wedding day approached. I knew why, she missed Renee and wanted her there. I went hunting with Peter, Emmett, Charlie, Carlisle, and Garrett to discuss what to do about her. I thought maybe I should take the girls and ask their opinions, but they were so busy with wedding plans and Alice told me Peter would have a solution. So here we were, hunting bears far from home and chatting about everything but what I wanted to talk about.

Peter wheeled on me and poked me in the chest, "Just spit it out already bro! I can't take any more small talk. You wanted us to come hunting all the way out here for a reason, so let's hear it. I already know what the answer to your problem is though."

Emmett was throwing heaping waves of frustration at him and glaring, "I really hate when you do that Peter. Jasper, what the hell is up man?"

They had all halted in their running and were facing me. Carlisle and Charlie both looked concerned, Peter was as smug as ever, Emmett was frustrated, and Garrett was peaceful, just waiting. Garrett was always peaceful or content, didn't anything ever bother him?

"I don't know what to do about Bella. She's so depressed that Renee will never see her get married. I just wish there was a way for her to be able to be there. Alice told me Peter would have a solution."

I glared at him in a very Major-like way as I waited for him to speak.

Peter just grinned, "Ask Garrett."

I frowned, "What the hell does that mean? That's not a solution jackass!" I was close to ripping off one of Peter's arms and beating him with it, but I knew Charlotte wouldn't appreciate that very much.

"My solution IS for you to ask Garrett what he can do, you idiot" Peter was exasperated with me now.

I turned to Garrett, "Well? What the hell does he mean?"

Garrett smiled a little sheepishly, "I have a power that only works on humans. I can make something that happened to them seem like a dream."

Carlisle gasped audibly, "Why didn't you ever tell us? How does it work?"

"I never thought you would have much use for it honestly. How many humans do you come across that you need to make believe they were dreaming things? Your family makes sure to never leave any trace that they were there at all, so I never thought you would need it" he shrugged. "It only works if the person is sleeping. They have to be completely unconscious and all I do is touch them and suggest things in the past were dreams or things about to happen."

Charlie jumped in, "We can't exactly kidnap Renee and then wait until she falls asleep to convince her she was dreaming."

Emmett was grinning wickedly, "No, but dad has access to drugs. We can wait until her and Phil are sleeping, sneak in and inject them with something to make them stay asleep through the journey up here."

I jumped on Emmett's train of thought, "We can have them dressed for the ceremony, let them be there, see some of the reception and then quickly inject them again to go to sleep. Garrett can work his magic and Renee will have some idea that Bella and Charlie are both at peace."

Carlisle was frowning, "I hate to inject them with anything and take away their will in that way."

"You heard what Jacob told Bella dad, Renee and Phil are in Forks searching for Charlie. She's very upset and this could be the thing she needs to move on with her life" Emmett very quietly told Carlisle.

I could feel Emmett's emotions and he was very passionate about this. He wanted Bella's mom and step dad to be at peace and be able to move on with their lives and not waste them looking for Charlie.

I watched as Carlisle contemplated this for a few minutes and felt his emotions change every so often. He was having an internal debate with himself over it. Finally he spoke, "Alright, let's do it. I would hate to see Renee stuck in a place of turmoil forever. She deserves to know they are both happy after all she has been through."

"Thanks dad, and Garrett" I grinned at them, "Garrett, you can tell Bella when we get back."

He smiled appreciatively at me, "Thanks Jasper." We finished our hunting trip and returned home. Bella was ecstatic when Garrett explained what he could do and she quickly ran around the room hugging us all for being able to do this for her.

"Hey Alice, what was with the roundabout way of getting me to find out what Garrett could do?" I asked her as she passed me to stand next to Garrett.

She grinned, "You needed them all to convince Carlisle that it was the right thing to do." I laughed, of course that would make sense. The wedding plans were finalized and in two days I would be marrying the love of my existence. I was quite easily, the happiest and luckiest man in the entire world.

Bella

My mom would be at my wedding. It was turning out to be the most perfect day of my existence. I would marry Jasper with all of my family there to witness it. When I called Jacob and asked him to help us by inviting Renee and Phil to stay on La Push for a few days, he was more than willing to oblige. The town would hear that Renee and Phil were there and that gave us a long enough alibi to basically kidnap them for about 48 hours. No one would question where they had disappeared to. Jacob would just offer to let them stay there and take a break from the Charlie search; Alice saw that they would agree to this. It all went off with out a hitch. Peter, Garrett, Carlisle, and Charlie were the ones who went to get them. They all returned with the wolves in tow. Now that the alliance between our families was stronger than ever, the wolves were invited to the wedding.

Alice and Esme had taken care of changing Renee and Phil into wedding attire and Garrett already used his power on them. All we had to do now was wait for them to wake up. I was sitting on Renee's side of the bed already in my wedding dress. Rosalie and Charlotte had helped me with my hair and make up. We figured the more ready I looked to marry Jasper, the easier the dream explanation would be to swallow for them. My mom was the first to start stirring in the bed. I waited with my breath held and heard my dad quietly enter the room. "Moral support" he mouthed to me when I raised an eyebrow at him. I smiled and turned my attention back to my mom.

Her eyes fluttered open and gasped in shock, "Bella!"

I smiled my most reassuring smile at her, "Hi mom."

Her face was a mask of confusion, "How is this possible?" I readied myself to start telling the lie.

"How could I ever get married without you present? In this life, the past, the after life, or even a dream, you were always meant to see me get married."

She swallowed, "Am I dreaming? It feels so real, but it has to be a dream." I just nodded and turned to look at my dad. I couldn't stand to lie to her and would break down and confess everything if I didn't look away from her questioning eyes.

Her eyes flew to where I was looking and another gasp escaped, "Charlie!" She sat straight up in the bed now.

Charlie stepped right behind me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Yes, Renee, I'm here with Bella too."

She started nodding her head as if this made sense, "Of course you would always be at her wedding too. What happened to you Charlie?"

"It's nothing you need to be concerned with right now Renee. It's Bella's special day and by some miracle we are both present for it, so let's just enjoy this time we have with our daughter."

I had never been more relieved in my whole existence than I was in that moment to have my dad with me. He was so good at this and such a comfort to me. I ached for Jasper to be the one here with me, but Alice had insisted absolutely not. I wasn't allowed to be anywhere near Jasper since midnight and wouldn't be allowed to see him until I walked down the aisle. Of course all the other vampires in my life had readily agreed to help keep us separated.

Renee looked at down her pale blue dress and smiled, "I guess if I'm already all dressed up for the big day, it really is some sort of a dream." I just smiled at her. Phil was starting to stir on his side of the bed and Renee looked to him now. We went through the same explanation with him and he didn't seem to buy it as easily as Renee had. I made a mental note to tell Garrett to increase his power over Phil when he went back to sleep later.

Alice flitted into the room to introduce herself and then called Esme, Rosalie, Charlotte, and Kate in as well.

"You'll have to make do with only the girls for a few hours I'm afraid. The boys have all been banished to the other side of the house to keep the grooms away from their brides to be."

"Grooms?" Renee asked in disbelief.

Alice nodded, "Yes, there is a double wedding today."

Charlie stepped in, "Phil, why don't we go join the rest of the men?"

Phil jumped up and readily agreed. Apparently there was too much estrogen in the room for him. Charlie kissed Kate on his way out and Renee's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

Rosalie laughed, "Hi Renee, it is so nice to meet you. I'm Bella's soon to be sister in law and the other bride today." Alice had decided to not have a double wedding one day. I was confused until she explained that Rosalie and Emmett had decided they wanted to renew their vows one day soon, and she wanted them to do that on the same day Jasper and I got married.

I smiled at the memory.

"_Bella, you and Rose have grown so close over the past few months. I know how much it would mean to both of you if you were to be married on the same day. Or remarried in Rose's case and I can be your maid of honor."_

_I sighed, "Alice, I'm close to you too and this double wedding was your idea. I can't ask this of you and I know Rosalie wouldn't want to either." _

_Alice rolled her eyes, "Bella, you are not asking me, I am giving this to you both. I know we are all close and love each other as real sisters, but Rose was there for you after your change when I couldn't be. While that's not really here nor there any more, you two should be the ones to share this day. Plus, I like simple things for myself."_

_I narrowed my eyes at her, "What the hell do you mean simpler things for yourself Alice?"_

_She shrugged indifferently, "I may like to plan grandiose things for others, but for myself, I much rather be simple. I decided when I saw Rose contemplating renewing their vows, that you two would share this day. Besides Bella, how weird would it be to get married at the same time as your husband's ex-wife?"_

"_Alice!" I exclaimed, "You and Jasper are the very best of friends and Garrett and Jasper are close too, I don't see what the problem is."_

"_You do have a point, but you also have to admit that it's still a little weird to marry Jasper when I'm getting married too". I laughed at how true that was and hugged her. "So, this really means you will be my maid of honor? That's not too weird for you?" _

_She grinned, "Already had the dress picked out months ago", she frowned at my other question. "Do you think it's too weird?"_

"_Oh Alice, no! I was just being sarcastic." She playfully smacked my arm and hugged me again. _

I shook my head to bring myself back into the present. Renee shook Rosalie's hand, "It's very nice to meet you Rosalie. You are Jasper's sister then? Who are you marrying?"

"Yes, his twin actually. I'm marrying Emmett, Alice's brother. We have a very complicated family". Rose gestured to Esme next, "This is Esme, our adoptive mother."

Esme smiled warmly at Renee and gently gave her a hug, "It's very nice to meet you Renee. You have an exceptional daughter." Renee agreed as she hugged Esme back.

Rose gestured to Kate next, "This is my cousin and Charlie's girlfriend Kate". Renee's jaw dropped as she shook Kate's hand and muttered under her breath, although we all heard her, "What an odd dream, but how very nice for Charlie."

We spent the rest of the morning talking with Renee. She seemed to be taking the dream as the explanation quite well and I constantly felt guilty about it. Jasper would feel my guilt and send me calming waves mixed with reassurance. The day flew by as Alice ran in and out of the room to make sure everything was going as planned.

When it was announced that Jasper had asked Carlisle to become an ordained minister online, Rosalie had asked Garrett to give her away. She told him it would be an honor for her to have him give her away as her newest "brother" and not just because everyone else was busy. He accepted and now almost everyone in the family had something to do in the wedding. Alice was my maid of honor, Peter was Jasper's best man, Garrett would give away Rosalie, Charlie would give me away and be Emmett's best man, Esme was Rose's maid of honor, and Carlisle was officiating. Kate and Charlotte weren't included in the actual ceremony, but they both insisted they were completely fine with that. They were just happy to be there with all of us.

Alice came flitting in the room again and did a once over of everyone. She fixed any hair out of place and re applied some make up in a very professional way. She finished with Rose and me and announced, "It's time. Renee let's go find Phil and get you situated. Charlie and Garrett are waiting outside the door for you two" she grinned at me and Rose. "It will be beautiful." Renee hugged me and followed Alice out the door.

Esme, Charlotte, and Kate each took their turns hugging us and flew out of the room. I turned to face Rosalie and gave her a nervous smile, her smile was completely reassuring, "It will be fine Bella. I'm here with you the whole way."

I rolled my eyes, "How many times have you and Emmett been married? It's no wonder why you aren't nervous, this is my first time."

Rose just grinned, "If it makes you feel any better, I always feel like this is my first time when I re-marry Emmett. Although, this time it really does feel like the first time all over again. It's different when it's a double wedding, and with you here for it marrying my brother."

"It does make me feel better. We better get going or Alice will kill us" I smiled. Rose laughed and we exited the room. The wedding was in the backyard next to the lake. Charlie and Garrett escorted us to the patio door where Alice and Esme were waiting.

"Count to ten and then follow" Alice instructed as her and Esme walked out the door together. I hugged Rose and Garrett and then linked my arm through Charlie's.

We walked out at the same time, me, Charlie, Rosalie, and Garrett. We stayed right on beat with the wedding march and my eyes locked with Jasper's. He looked absolutely stunning in his tuxedo. When his eyes locked with mine, the most brilliant smile broke across his face and I knew my answering smile matched his exactly. I was unaware of anything else in that moment. My eyes stayed fixed on Jasper's and I saw nothing else. Nothing else mattered to me, not the guests, not the decorations, not the members of the small wedding party, it was just Jasper and me. We reached him after what seemed like the slowest walk in the history of the world and his emotions matched mine exactly. Pride, happiness, joy, love, and mine. That's the only way to describe that last feeling, he was mine and I was his. I was incredibly happy to be making it official, my claim on Jasper. He had been mine before I even knew it and he would always be mine.

My dad kissed me on the cheek and it broke me out of my trance on Jasper. I glanced at his face to see the unshed tears in his eyes and I smiled at him to let him know I understood how he felt. I stole a quick glance over his head to see Rosalie and Emmett beaming at each other. Rose felt my gaze on her and winked at me. I winked back and then my attention returned to Jasper's face. I stared at him through the whole ceremony and he stared back. I pushed all the love I could at him as we said our vows and he pushed it back at me. It was perfect. We kissed when Carlisle said we could and then I was turning to face our guests, with my mate and my husband at my side. We walked back down the aisle with Emmett and Rosalie and I finally tore my eyes away from Jasper to look at the guests and the decorations. Renee was sobbing quietly into Phil's arms and he was smiling while trying to comfort her. I smiled at Jacob, who was grinning hugely at me from behind Renee's seat. The rest of the Denali clan was there, the wolves, a few nomads, and my mom and Phil.

Alice had outdone herself with the decorations. Each chair was covered in a deep burgundy color with a white bow tied around the back. There were flowers everywhere and elegant candle pillars made of wrought iron held alternating burgundy and white candles. It was simple and classy at the same time. It embodied both Rosalie's and my personalities. Once again I had to admit everything was perfect.

There was food for all of the human guests and even a cake for both of the couples. We each pretended to eat a bite when it was time to cut it. The song Jasper sang for me before was played and we danced our first dance. The rest of the evening passed blissfully as I took my turn dancing and talking with our guests. Garrett was the last one I danced with. His crest glistened in the candle light on his wrist band as he twirled me around the dance floor.

"It's time for your mom and Phil to go back. The wolves will be leaving soon, so we need to get them sleeping and changed back to their original clothes."

I nodded, "Hey Garrett, do you think you can give Phil a more powerful dose of your gift? He had a hard time accepting the dream theory when they woke up."

"Of course I will. Sometimes I'm not sure how strongly to use it and so I underestimate it. Don't worry, he will believe it just like your mom. Maybe you should go say goodbye to them now."

"Thank you for this Garrett. It means more to me than I could ever tell you." I hugged him and ran off to find my mom. She was dancing with Emmett when I asked her if we could talk. I walked her over to one of the chairs in the shadows.

"You look so beautiful Bella. This is always how I imagined you to look on your wedding day."

I smiled, "Alice does good work."

Renee shook her head, "No Bella, you truly are something to look at. You always have been, but today you are shining with happiness."

"I am happy" I told her honestly.

"That's all I've ever wanted for you. I hope you are at peace in this new life of yours, for a lack of better words."

"Yes, very much so mom. Charlie is too, so please don't worry about us anymore. You need to live your life and move on. Don't be sad."

Tears started to flow down Renee's cheeks, "I guess this means I'm getting close to waking up. It sounds like goodbye."

I hugged her to me as tightly as I could without breaking her, "I'm sorry I can't keep you with me forever" I whispered. "But you are always in my heart and I will never forget you."

I held onto her as she sobbed into my arms, "You are always in my heart too, Bella. I'll never get over losing you, but I promise to be happy from now on." I saw Carlisle directing Phil towards us and knew this was it.

I hugged her a little closer, "I'll love you forever."

"Same here, please promise if you ever can, you'll visit with me again like this?" she asked.

"I promise mom" and she slumped in my arms as Carlisle quickly injected her with whatever it was he had in his syringe. He caught Phil as he turned and quickly injected him as well.

I carried my mom into the guest room and helped Alice change her back into her pajamas. Carlisle and Jasper had Phil changed back into his as well. Garrett worked his magic and I prayed it worked. We loaded them into a truck and I hugged Jacob goodbye and watched them drive away. Jasper's arms went around me, "I'm sorry darlin'. I know how much you love her."

I smiled weakly at him, "I'm okay, it's just hard to say goodbye to her. I'm grateful that she could be here with us. Let's go back to the party." I tugged his hand and pulled him with me back to the rest of our family.

Jasper

The idea of not being able to see my bride before the ceremony on the wedding day was absolutely ridiculous to me; but Alice always got her way. Emmett was just as sulky as me, "I've always been allowed to see Rosalie before any of our weddings except the first Alice! It's not fair!" I had to stifle a laugh as Emmett looked very close to throwing a temper tantrum.

Alice just did her eye roll, "Yes, but this is Jasper and Bella's first time and we are doing it by the book for ALL couples. Don't make me tie you to a chair, you know I will do it." She was glaring at him as she waited for him to challenge her. Emmett just threw his arms up in the air in defeat and stalked towards the couch in Carlisle's study. He sat down and glared at Alice for the duration of her time with us. I sent him some calming waves but he waited until she left before he even looked at me. As soon as she left he grinned at me, "Thanks Jazz, but it's so much fun arguing with shortie, you know how much she hates it." Alice hissed as she no doubt heard that and I laughed. Emmett was the only one Alice hated arguing with, he was so blunt and honest that usually he blurted things out with out thinking them through first and Alice never saw what argument would come out of his mouth next. She hated to be unprepared in any debate.

The rest of the night seemed to pass agonizingly slow as we waited for the rest of the guys to return with Renee and Phil. Emmett wanted to go play video games but Alice had forbidden us from leaving Carlisle's study. She claimed we couldn't be trusted to not wander into mine and Bella's suite if we were allowed to roam the house. So we sat here with each other and played chess. Emmett was an excellent chess player just like me and so the game went slowly.

Finally, I heard the sound of tires turning onto the drive. Emmett paid no attention as he contemplated his next move, but I was alert to every sound. There were two cars, Emmett's jeep and some sort of truck that held the wolves and Renee and Phil. They pulled into the garage and then I heard them enter the house. Esme greeted the wolves and showed them to their guest rooms while Carlisle and Charlie carried Phil and Renee to Emmett and Rosalie's suite. They would sleep in there while the girls used mine and Bella's to get ready for the wedding.

Peter and Garrett came bounding into the room after receiving strict orders from Alice to keep Emmett and me confined to this side of the house until she said so.

"Emmett's going to win" Peter announced and Emmett grinned as he made his move.

"Your such a dick sometimes" I muttered to Peter.

"Language Jasper" Esme reprimanded me as she flitted in to check on us.

"Sorry mom" I told her. I made my next move and immediately regretted it. I should have taken more time to think it through. Needless to say, Peter was right as usual and Emmett won on the very next move he made.

"Son of a-" I started to say but caught Esme's eyebrow raise at the same time and I stopped myself. She told us to behave ourselves and then left to rejoin the girls. Carlisle and Charlie were now in the room and we were trying to think of something to do for the next few hours.

Emmett suggested a wrestling match and surprisingly Carlisle agreed. "Um, not that I'm complaining or anything dad, but what the hell? We are actually allowed to wrestle?" Emmett asked in disbelief.

"Yes, it will keep us all busy and give us something to do" Carlisle simply stated.

Alice came charging into the room, her eyes narrowed, "You better not break anything for the wedding or so help me, I will make your lives a living hell for years to come!"

Carlisle laughed, "Don't worry Alice. We will move into the forest far away from here."

Alice never relaxed her posture, "You better not break a thing" she warned again as she stared us each down. She waited until we each nodded in understanding before she flitted out of the room.

"How much damage can wrestling cause?" Charlie asked as he tried to suppress a laugh at Alice's demands.

Garrett grinned wickedly at him, "You've never seen a wrestling match in this family. You are in for a major treat."

So that's how we spent the remainder of the night. A few trees were destroyed but luckily Carlisle kept us far away from the house so that Alice didn't have to worry about the wedding stuff.

Alice made us come back around daylight to start getting ready. Just because it had taken the women hours to get ready, did not mean it would take us that long. We all could have been showered and dressed within minutes but she wanted us to be around when Phil and Renee woke up. Emmett and I started another chess game as we lounged around. None of us had bothered getting ready yet. I could feel Bella's guilt as she waited for her mom to wake up, so I sent her some calming waves.

"Bella's feeling guilty about this whole thing" I told Charlie. He was already dressed and ready for the ceremony. He smiled reassuringly at me and went off to go wait with her. I was grateful that he could do this for her when I wasn't allowed to. I spent the rest of the morning sending her calming waves whenever she felt guilty and I knew they were affecting the rest of the family as well. My family was the calmest they had ever been. Phil joined us with Charlie a short time later and then the rest of us got ready.

The wolves also spent some time with us and it was nice to have them there after everything they did for us that day of the battle. Tanya, Carmen, Eleazar, and Irina had arrived sometime in the morning and I wasn't exactly pleased with this. I was suspicious of Irina and didn't trust her anymore. She had switched from hating the wolves for killing Laurent to tolerating them. I could even hear her strike up a conversation with Jacob. He kept it simple and after awhile, she lost interest and gave up. Irina's surprise made me even more suspicious of her. She claimed Laurent was never her true mate, just someone to spend time with until she found hers and now she had found her mate. She refused to tell anyone who it was until after the wedding, saying only we wouldn't be pleased and she didn't want to ruin the wedding. I distrusted all of this and I could tell Peter, Charlotte, Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice all agreed with me. Kate, Esme, Bella, Charlie, Garrett, Carmen, Eleazar, Tanya, and Carlisle were skeptical, but wanted badly to believe her.

Finally it was time to go take my place at the alter. I couldn't wait to watch Bella walk down that aisle and be wife. I grinned at Emmett as he took his place a few feet away from me at the end of the aisle. He was grinning back and looking towards the house expectantly. The sky was a dull pearl gray as the clouds moved across the sky. Alice was right of course, overcast but no rain. A perfect day to have an outside wedding with Renee and Phil in attendance. We didn't want to risk showing them what we looked like in the sun, dream or no dream.

I heard them approach the door and my eyes focused on Bella's face. I broke out in a huge smile and she returned it. I could feel her love for me as she pushed it towards me and I returned it. I couldn't take my eyes off her face as they made their slow procession down the aisle. Finally, Charlie was placing her hand in mine and kissing her cheek. I saw her smile at him and then wink over his head at someone, but I didn't dare turn around to see who. Nothing else mattered to me in that moment, for all I cared we were the only people in the world at that exact moment. I stared at her throughout the whole ceremony and she stared back. I barely listened to Carlisle as he officiated the ceremony and then it was over. Bella was mine forever, it was official. The love and pride that poured out of me was unlike anything else I had ever felt. She was mine, and I was hers; just as it was always supposed to be. No matter what life threw at us, we would survive it, together. As long as we were together, we could survive anything.

We walked back down the aisle, our first walk as husband and wife. The rest of the evening passed by quickly. We each had to choke down a bite of cake for Renee and Phil's benefit and it didn't even bother me as it normally would have. I made sure to have the song I sang for Bella play for our first danced and we twirled around the floor for our first dance. I danced with Esme for the mother and son dance and she was beaming at me.

"I'm so happy for you both, Jasper. If my son had lived and I was still human, I would want him to be just like you. You have such a good soul and it makes my heart soar to see you finally happy and free of your past demons."

A small lump rose in my throat and I quickly swallowed, "Thank you so much, mom. I know it took me a long time to get over my aversion to being a part of your family and I'm sorry for that. I love you and I'm so happy you are my mom."

Esme hugged me and I could feel the soft sobs that wracked her body, "It's better late, than never my son. I never gave up faith that you would come around". She smiled at me and I smiled back. Everything was perfect in my life. She was right, I was over my past and I had this wonderful family and Bella to thank for that. None of them ever gave up on me and I would owe them for eternity for allowing me to stay with them. The song ended and Emmett came over to take Esme away for his dance with her. I danced with Rosalie next.

"You better keep in touch on this extended honeymoon of yours brother" she glared at me.

I laughed, "I wouldn't dream of going a whole month without talking to you, sister."

She smiled, "Good, because I would hate to have to kick your ass as soon as you return."

"As if you could." We bantered back and forth for awhile and then it was my turn to dance with Alice.

"You're welcome" she stated before I could get the thank you out of my mouth.

I rolled my eyes and said it anyways, "Thank for everything you have ever done for me, Alice."

She rolled her eyes now, "You know you don't have to thank me. I've only done what was right and what you deserved and needed." I nodded, I knew that but somehow a thank you never seemed like enough for me to give back to Alice.

"It's plenty, so stop thinking of things to give me. I have my family, my mate, and my gift, I have everything I'll ever need."

"Same here" I smiled down at her.

Bella was taking Renee to one of the chairs to talk and knew it was almost time for them to leave. I caught Carlisle's eye and nodded to him. He slowly made his way towards Phil, trying to give Bella and Renee as much time as possible together. Then he led him over to Renee and Bella. Once they were drugged, Carlisle and I quickly changed Phil back into his pajamas while Alice and Bella changed Renee. Garrett worked his magic on them and I carried Phil and loaded him into the wolves' truck. I shook Jacob's hand and thanked him for helping to give Bella this wonderful gift.

I wrapped my arms around Bella, "I'm sorry darlin'. I know how much you love her."

She smiled weakly at me, "I'm okay, it's just hard to say goodbye to her. I'm grateful that she could be here with us. Let's go back to the party." She tugged on my hand and pulled me with her back to the rest of our family.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, author/story alerts & such, it means the world to me **** And thank you for your continued faith in my story. It's truly an honor to have so many of you enjoying it. This one is a little short, but I had a hard time deciding where to leave off. I apologize for the short Jasper/Bella sexy time, but you will be rewarded with a longer one later. Thanks to Jacqulyn for reading & catching my errors. Enough out of me, on with the story. **

Alice

I saw it, finally, I saw what I had been waiting for. Aro was sending some of his minions to bring Edward back to Volterra. Jane, Demetri, and Felix would be here in 3 days. I considered calling Jasper, Bella, Rosalie, and Emmett home from their honeymoons but my vision showed me that would be a very bad idea. A fight would be sure to break out between Demetri and Emmett. I flitted downstairs to find the rest of my family, calling out their names as I went. "Carlisle, Esme, Charlie, Kate, Peter, Charlotte, Garrett." I heard them all start making their way towards the living room and I stood by the big window that overlooked the front yard.

I turned to face them when I heard them all enter the room. "There sending someone for Edward aren't they?" Peter asked me. I nodded. Normally when Peter did that to me, I would be frustrated but right now was not the time for that.

"Aro is sending three of them, Jane, Demetri, and Felix. They will be here in 3 days", I announced.

"Should we be expecting any trouble?" Carlisle asked.

"No, they will just come here for him and leave when we explain what happened. I can't see what Aro's reaction will be to the news, but I can guess that it won't be good."

"Of course not, I would expect him to be quite furious with us." Carlisle said.

"Should we call your brothers and sisters to come home?" Esme asked.

"No, they've only been gone for 2 weeks, let them enjoy the rest of their time. It's Bella and Jasper's first honeymoon. Plus, Emmett and Demetri will be sizing each other up and a fight looks like it will break out between the two." I told them.

Charlie grinned, "That doesn't surprise me about Emmett."

Garrett grinned too, "Yea, that sounds just like Emmett. He would love to get his hands on Demetri."

I smiled glumly at them, "I fear they will get their chance to take each other on sometime soon."

"You think the Volturi will fight us?" Carlisle gasped. I love my dad, but how could he be so naive to believe Aro would let this go? Aro coveted Edward, he wanted Edward to join the Volturi in the worst way. Now, with us being responsible for Edward's death, Aro would be out for vengeance. I knew that, so Carlisle must know that as well.

"You think Aro would just let this go?" Peter asked incredulously.

Carlisle sighed, "No, I guess I don't. I just don't want to believe we have more vampires coming for us. Mature vampires with gifts, it's a major problem."

Charlie frowned, we had caught him up on all the workings of the vampire world, so he was well informed on how the Volturi were.

"But we have Bella's shield?" he asked.

"What am I, chop liver?" Kate teased. "We have Bella's shield and my power. Even Aro's most gifted vampires won't be able to withstand that."

"Of course they won't." Esme smiled.

They decided then that there was nothing else to worry about for the moment. I didn't completely agree, I wouldn't agree until my vision showed me exactly what would happen. I shot a glance at Peter and thought that he felt the same way as me. His eyes flashed to my face and he nodded once confirming it.

Jasper

I hung up the phone and frowned at it. Something was going on back home, but Esme wouldn't tell me what. We had called home to see how everyone was doing and they all acted weird. Esme was the weirdest. Normally, if she had something she didn't want us to know, she acted that way. I wondered if Alice saw something about the Volturi then. Bella bounded back into the room, she had gone to the beach after talking to the family because Rosalie called. She took her turn with Rose and Emmett and now handed her phone to me. I kissed her on the cheek and flitted out to the beach for my turn. I would have loved staying by her side, but if anything was going on, Rose might know what it was.

"Hey Rose. How's my favorite twin?"

She laughed, "Hey Jazz, I'm great. How are you?"

"I've never been better. How's Africa?"

"Awesome as always. You know how Emmett likes a different variety of food every now and then. How's Isle Esme?"

"It's great, spending alone time with Bella has been a lot of fun. We haven't had much time alone together and this has been really great for us. Getting to hang out on a beach with her hasn't been too bad either." I grinned to myself, remembering what happened this morning on the beach. It was a memory I would not share with my sister as it involved a very naughty side of Bella, that I hadn't seen before. I enjoyed it very much.

"I'm glad you two are having such a good time. Do you know what's going on at home? Mom is acting weird."

"No, I was going to ask you. When did you talk to her?" I asked.

"Right before I called Bella, and something isn't right, Jazz. None of them would say what was wrong, but I have a feeling Alice finally saw something with the Volturi."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. Why do you think they won't tell us?"

Rose waited a second before answering, "They wouldn't want to ruin our honeymoons, especially if Alice didn't foresee anything bad happening. You know how they are."

"True, should we go home, just in case?"

"Emmett and I have been pondering the same thing. We were unsure what to do though, did you tell Bella?"

"Not yet, but don't worry, I won't keep this from her."

"Good, because I would hate to come and kick your ass for that", she threatened. I heard Emmett laughing in the background.

"Trust me bro, that is something you don't want to have happen."

I laughed, "I know Emmett, Rose is probably the only being in the world I am scared of."

Rose laughed, "I like that your scared of me. Let us know what you decide, Jazz. I love you both."

"Love you too, Rose." I heard her hand Emmett the phone.

"You hitting on my wife man?" Emmett asked.

I laughed, "Oh please, technically she's my sister and that would be very wrong."

"So what, she's not good enough for you?" he teased.

There was no winning with Emmett, "No, she's too good man."

"Damn straight!" he exclaimed. I could just picture the look that was one his face through out all of this and it made me laugh. "Seriously though, how's the honeymoon?"

"It's great, a lot of privacy that we haven't had before."

"I bet that's a good thing for the two of you. Enjoy the rest of it, we'll chat in a few days I'm sure. The women can't seem to keep from calling each other every few days" he complained.

"No, they sure can't. They just miss each other", I told him.

He sighed, "I know, miss you guys too", he mumbled quickly. That was the most emotion I would probably ever hear from Emmett about me.

"Same here" I answered. "Enjoy your trip and nab an elephant for me."

"Rose won't let me try to get one. She says I'll set off a mass hysteria in the herd, so I have to find one by itself. Do you know how hard that is?"

"She's probably right, but good luck in finding one. Talk to ya later Em."

"Bye bro."

I went back into the house to find my wife. My wife. Those two words thrilled me whenever I thought about Bella. She was officially mine forever.

I found her in the white room, laying on the bed. She smiled at me when I came into the room, "Hey husband, why don't you come join me on the bed?" She waggled her eyebrows in a very Emmett-like way.

I flew to the bed and jumped lightly on it. "Hi wife" I said as I bent my head to kiss her. When I pulled away finally she asked, "What's going on at home? Esme was acting so weird on the phone."

I laughed, "You are so very observant, darlin'. I'm not sure, they won't tell us. Rose and Emmett said the same thing."

She frowned at me, "Should we go home then?" I could feel her slight disappointment at the thought, but knew if our family needed us, we would go.

"No, if they aren't telling us, then it must not be bad. Alice, would tell us."

"Okay, I must say, I'm glad. I enjoy our time together."

"Me too, darlin'." I bent my head to kiss her again. Bella pulled me on top of her and pulled my shirt off. She ran her hands up and down my back and I moaned into her mouth. I slipped my hand under her shirt and kneaded her breast, her moan almost undid me. I whipped her shirt and bra off and started kissing one of her breasts, while massaging the other.

In the next instant, the rest of both of our clothes were on the floor. Our hands were roaming all over each others bodies and I inserted one finger in her. She gasped and wrapped her hand around my cock and started pumping up and down. I had wanted to make this one slow and leisurely, but it wasn't turning out that way. I needed and wanted her badly. I removed my finger, and plunged into her folds in one quick movement. Bella started moving at the same time as me and matched me thrust for thrust. Time passed slowly as I kept pumping in and out of her. Finally, I couldn't hold back any longer and felt myself let loose inside her. Two more thrusts into her and she screamed my name. I stayed buried inside of her and rolled so she was on top of me. A wicked grin spread across her face, "Not done with me yet, Major?"

"Not even close."

"Good, because I will never be done with you in this way." She slowly started moving up and down on me and I was moaning her name. I would spend everyday making love to this beautiful woman if given the chance. Since it wasn't feasible to do that, I would spend every minute I could on this honeymoon doing just that.

Peter

We waited silently in the house for the 3 idiots that Aro had sent. Alice said they were coming in 5 minutes, so we waited in the living room. It was tense in the room and I wished the Major had been here to control our moods. We needed him to settle us down, so one of us didn't say something that started a fight. By one of us, I do mean me. Without Emmett here, I was the one with the biggest mouth and inability to watch what came out of it. I kept telling myself over and over, that I would not be the one to start a fight today. This family took me and my wife with no questions asked, they cared for us and may even love us. How in the world could I start a fight that would risk their lives?

_Please, be good today, Peter. _Charlotte told me as she looked in to my eyes.

_Yes, ma'am. _I winked at her. _You have nothing to worry about doll, I don't want to endanger this family in any way. _

_Good, I don't want to have to punish you. _I shivered at the thought. Charlotte's form of punishment was to withhold sex and I did not agree with that in any way. She had done it enough to me in the past hundred years and I wasn't about to let it happen again.

_You do realize that is a horrible punishment for a man, right? _

_It's the best punishment for you babe. You are usually good for a decade or so after I do that. _

I grinned at her, she was right about that.

"They're almost here", Alice announced.

We all took casual stances around the room. Charlotte and I stood, holding hands by the fireplace. Esme and Carlisle sat on the loveseat and Alice, Garrett, Kate, and Charlie were on the couch. We could hear the car approach the driveway and then fly down it. 3 car doors slammed and the doorbell rang in a matter of seconds. Carlisle stood and went to get it.

"Hello, Jane, Demetri, Felix" he greeted them. "Please, come in." 3 voices said in unison, "Hello, Carlisle." They came trailing in behind him and stopped in the doorway.

Esme stood, "Won't you please come in and make yourselves comfortable?" They stayed by the door.

"No thank you, we will only be a minute" Jane answered. I almost shuddered at the sound of that child's cold voice. Jane gave me the creeps. I could see Demetri and Felix look around the room and then stare at me and Charlotte for a second longer than they had everyone else. I knew what they were staring at, our scars. Charlotte and I did not have nearly as many as Jasper, but we had our share.

Esme nodded and sat back down, Carlisle joining her. "What can we help you with today?" he asked nonchalantly.

Jane sneered, "Let's just get down to business Carlisle. I want to go home as soon as possible and I bet your psychic saw why we were coming. Aro sends his regards and hopes to see you soon." This is exactly what Alice had said she would say to us.

"Please send mine to him as well. What can I help you with?"

"Where's your son?" Demetri growled.

"Peter and Garrett are right here as you can see. Jasper and Emmett are on their honeymoons. Why do you need them?"

Demetri sneered and Felix smirked a little. Jane rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated. "Not them Carlisle, Although, Aro will be interested to know you have adopted another stray." I hissed and Charlotte put a hand on my arm. I stopped immediately and went silent. I wouldn't start a fight them, no matter what. It hit me then, Carlisle considered us his children too. It meant a lot to me that he thought that way and I would have to remember to thank him and make sure he knew the feeling was mutual.

"Then who? I have no more children" Carlisle answered his face devoid of any emotions.

"Edward, your first son? Don't you remember him at all Carlisle? Or, have you taken in too many and you can't keep track of them all?" Jane dryly asked him.

"Edward is not my son anymore, Jane. He quit being my son the moment he turned into the monster I never thought him capable of being. He's dead."

Jane's face briefly contorted in to confusion and shock, "What do you mean dead?"

"Edward and two other vampires made an army of newborns to try and kill us. We had to defend ourselves and he was killed in the battle" Alice quickly told her.

"Who killed him?" Demetri demanded.

"I'm not sure, I didn't see who it was. Maybe it was one of his newborns, I was too busy trying to tell everyone exactly what was going to happen in each of their fights." Alice looked bored by the whole conversation. Jane was extremely intrigued.

"I'm sure your visions could tell you who the killer was."

"Nope" Alice disagreed.

"Try harder."

Alice looked balefully at Jane, "I've tried my hardest and I see nothing about Edward's death. It happened so quickly, it must have been a last second decision. You know, I can't see those coming."

Jane glared back at Alice and Garrett took a step to stand slightly in front of Alice. He glared back at Jane and she turned to Carlisle again, "I guess we are done here then. I'm sure you or maybe even Alice will be hearing from Aro soon." Her eyes narrowed on Charlie and Kate, "Hmm, even more new ones. Very interesting."

"I expect one of us will" Carlisle answered. With that, the 3 creepy vampires took their leave. No one spoke until they were out of the driveway and well on their way to Volterra again.

"As soon as I see a decision, you'll know" Alice promised.

"If Jane's reaction is even a fraction of what Aro's will be, they will come to destroy us" I told them.

"I expected as much" Carlisle sighed.

"With Bella and Kate, they won't have a chance" Charlotte told him.

Carlisle smiled grimly at her, "I know, but I still hate to fight my old friends, no matter how much I disagree with his ways."

"Of course you do" Esme reassured him as she patted his hand. That was the end of it for now. We would wait for Alice to see something and then worry about them.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Oh my, we've reached over 400 reviews! Y'all make my day =) I'm sorry if I don't always respond, however I read and cherish each and every one. So, if you like it: review; if you don't like it: review. I want to know what you think. I think we have about 4 or 5 chapters left in this one before we move on to the sequel. I hope I don't disappoint with they way I end it. Thanks to Jacqulyn for pre-reading and catching my errors. **

**P.S. There is a few more swears than I usually have thrown in. Sorry if that offends you, it's time the vamps got fiesty =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters, boo =(**

Emmett

"Damn it, Rose! Why can't I? It is alone and will cause no hysteria to any other animal?" I demanded of my beautiful wife.

She looked exasperated, "Because they are an endangered species, Emmett. You know we don't hunt endangered species."

I sighed, she was right of course. I looked longingly at the lone elephant walking across the prairie for one last time. Once they were out of danger of extinction, I was going to come back and get me one.

I turned back to Rosalie, "Let's go hunt something else then." She took in my forlorn expression and smiled sweetly. Before I knew what was happening, she was on top of me and knocking us to the ground. Well, this definitely made up for the lack of an elephant.

A very long time later, we finally got back up and hunted a few animals. We were due back from our honeymoon in a few days and I was nowhere near ready to leave. I loved my alone time with my wife. I did miss my family like crazy though, especially Bella and Jasper. That time we spent alone with them in Canada after Bella's change had really brought us closer and I really felt like we were all brothers and sisters for once. Jasper and I were close before, but never like this. It felt wrong to be away from the family for a whole month. Even if it was a great month with lots of alone time with Rosie.

"What do you say to heading back a little early?" Rose asked me.

I pulled her into a bear hug, "Oh, Rosie, that's a great idea."

She laughed as she squeezed me just as tightly, "Tired of me already huh, Em?"

"Never, I thought you were sick of only me for company."

"Never, ever. I just miss them all so much. It's so different now. Everything that has happened to us since Bella came into our lives has really brought us closer. I miss them all."

"Me too, let's go pack." We headed back to the hut that had been our home for the past few weeks. Yes, hut, it was small, but had a lot of privacy and that's all that mattered. We packed all our stuff and I called the airlines to arrange our flights. There were a couple stopovers since it was a last minute flight change, but who cared? Stopovers never bothered me. Years of learning patience in airports, I guess.

Alice and Garrett were waiting at the airport for us. Of course shortie had seen us decide to come early and would know where to find us.

She flung herself at Rose and I at a normal human pace. We both embraced her and Rose hugged Garrett. I gave him as manly of a hug as I could manage and then we headed home.

"Carlisle and Esme will be so excited to see you both" Alice gushed from the front seat.

"You didn't tell them we were coming home?" I asked incredulously. Alice always liked to be privy to information about the family and be the first to share it.

"No, they were hunting when I saw it and just got back as we were leaving to come pick you up."

"Good, I'd love to surprise mom and dad", Rose announced. Her eyes took on a far a way look, "I wonder if they will still be mom and dad once we move somewhere and attend school or if Charlie and Kate will be. Alice?"

"I have no idea, Rose. Those decisions haven't been made yet. I'm sure they will always be mom and dad to us, no matter what", Alice said, smiling at Rose.

I honestly never thought about that issue. We were all so happy in our current house and with our current situation that I thought we would stay there for years to come. I hoped Carlisle and Esme wouldn't be offended if any of us had to pretend to be Charlie and Kate's children. I thought for sure that Bella, Alice, Peter, and myself would have to pretend to be their kids. We were all the dark haired ones and there was no denying Bella and Charlie were related.

We made it to the house in record time and Garrett floored it down the driveway. As soon as the car was stopped, I jumped out of the car and grabbed all our bags. We ran into the house, "Mom, dad?" Rose called out. Esme came flying inside from the backyard.

"Rose! Emmett! What are you doing here?" She exclaimed as she crashed into Rosalie. I set the bags down and opened my arms. Esme flew into them and wrapped me in a vice grip. I hugged her back and set her down on the ground. Carlisle was now standing next to Rose. They had already hugged and I took my turn hugging him. He is my dad after all.

"Welcome home kids" he said as he wrapped an arm around Esme's waist. "You're earlier than we expected."

"We missed the family and decided to come home early", Rose told them.

"I'm glad, I've missed you both so much" Esme told us.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked as I noticed Peter, Charlotte, Kate, and Charlie's scents were very weak, as if they hadn't been here in a few days.

Esme smiled, "Kate and Charlie went to Denali to visit and Peter and Charlotte went home to get their things. We've invited him them to stay with us and they have accepted." She was beaming as she finished her sentence.

"That's great" Rose told them. I picked up our bags and ran to put them away while Esme pulled Rose into the living room so they could catch up.

I heard her ask Esme what happened while we were gone.

"I had a house built for Charlie and Kate about a mile away, it's still on the property of course, but now they have their own space. We all decided that was the best option for them, instead of making an addition to the house. They've invited Peter and Charlotte to stay there as well."

"That is so nice of you, Mom. I bet Peter and Charlotte will feel more comfortable around less people, since they do like to be by themselves most of the time", Rose told her.

"I completely agree and I was so touched when Charlie and Kate invited them to stay there. They have grown close and gotten to know each other since you all have been gone." I was putting all our clothes away as a nice gesture for my wife but I could hear every word they said perfectly.

"Anything else happen?" Rose pressed. I knew she was trying to find out what they were all trying to keep from us.

Carlisle answered her, "Yes, your mother truly is terrible at hiding things isn't she? I hope that's not why you came home early."

"No dad, we truly missed you all. Now, what happened?"

"Jane, Demetri, and Felix paid us a visit." I dropped what I was doing and was next to Rose in an instant.

"Why weren't we told?" I demanded.

"They were just here to find out where Edward was. It was nothing more than a drop by" Alice told us.

I turned to glare at her, "We still should have been here, what if they decided at the last minute to turn it into a fight? Jasper and Bella should have been here too."

She sighed, "I saw if we called you guys home that **you** would be the one to start a fight with Demetri. It went as peacefully as I saw it would, I promise."

Of course I would be the one to start the fight with Demetri. It didn't surprise me at all that she foresaw that. It was the truth and I was itching to take him on in a fight.

"What will they do now?" Rose asked quitely.

"I'm not sure yet, Aro hasn't made any decisions. He was very upset when they told him, but that's all I've seen about that."

I nodded, "They'll come for us though, right?"

Carlisle looked at me in surprise, "How is it that you and everyone else have come to the same conclusion so quickly? Do I believe too much in my former friend's loyalty to think they won't?"

I loved Carlisle as if he were my real father, but honestly, how did he not see that coming? Aro, that creep of a friend of his, would be out for revenge.

I laughed, "You think he wouldn't? We all saw how much he wanted Edward that day he took him with them back to Volterra. From what you and Eleazar have told us about them, it only makes sense for that to happen. The question now is when will they come?"

"I suppose you are right. Maybe I was trying to convince myself they would just leave it alone. I miss the normalcy of our lives. Edward is dead and still the drama about him surrounds us", Carlisle sighed. No one had anything to say to that. It was the truth.

"Rose, there's something you need to know" Alice began a bit apprehensively. I tensed next to Rose and grabbed her hand.

"What?"

"Jane tried to get me to tell her who it was that killed Edward, but I wouldn't do it. I suspect, and Peter confirms it, that when they finally do come here for us, Aro will be after that information. We will have to try and find a way to use Bella's shield to protect you."

I growled and Rose patted my arm reassuringly, "Thank you, Alice. I'm sorry I'm the one who is causing their wrath to come down on our family."

"Oh honey, no, it's not your fault. All of this, it's Edward's fault. It has been since the beginning. He was the one who couldn't let go of some stupid vendetta against us, even after finding his mate. Don't worry, we will protect you from them no matter what" Esme said as she wrapped Rose in another hug.

"Thanks Mom."

That was the end of the talk on the Volturi. Alice was watching their every move and would let us know as soon as they made a decision. For now, we would go on living our lives as if nothing happened. Jasper and Bella would be back in a few days and they whole family would be back by then. We finished catching up and spent the next few days as a normal family. Well, normal for a vampire family.

Aro

_I say we go now! We have the information we need to defeat them!_ my co-conspirator growled at me in his head. There was about 20 different vampires touching me. We were hoping that if I would only be the one talking to this many of them, Alice wouldn't be able to see who it was that I was arguing with.

I sighed, "NO, we have the information about how they fought and managed to escape Edward's plan. We do NOT have a way to defeat them. That is why we will wait. We will find a way to counter attack Bella's shield."

_But Aro, having this information will only help us win in the end_, he argued.

I was growing tired of this argument. It was the same argument we had been having for days. "I WILL NOT RISK OUR COVEN IN THIS WAY. THE ONLY THING THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL GIVE US, IS TO KNOW HOW WE WILL DIE. WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?" I yelled. I was reaching my breaking point. "I will NOT lead us into a slaughter. I don't care how long it takes, we will wait and search the ends of the Earth if we have to. It's not like we don't have all of eternity for our revenge." I was more calm by the end of my rant.

He mentally sighed, _I know you are right and I'm sorry. I just think it's imperative to act quickly. We can't let them think they can get away with treating the Volturi this way. It sets a bad precedent._

"They have Alice, she will see this and know they will not get away with it forever. Just as many years as it takes to find what we are looking for." With that we were done this for now.

I would have my revenge against Carlisle and his family. Jane had reported they were even bigger now. Two males and two females were there. The one male and one female had multiple scars, which she described as battle scars. I could only imagine they were Peter and Charlotte. I had seen the Major and his friends in enough vampires mind to recognize them by Jane's descriptions. Apparently, the Major had reached out to his old friends, who were now taken in by Carlisle and Esme. Didn't they ever tire of taking in strays?

The other female was Kate, daughter of someone we had punished many years ago for having sired an immortal child. I knew Kate and knew she was friends with Carlisle, but her staying with them confused me. Jane had insisted it seemed like the other male was her mate and looked a lot like Bella. Had they decided to turn one of her family members because she was too selfish to give him up? Becoming an immortal wasn't enough for her, she had to have her old life with her too? This growing family and growing problem would be dealt with one day.

Jasper

"I'm excited to be going home, but I loved our alone time together", Bella told me as she held my hand. We were driving home from the airport. I understood exactly how she felt.

"I agree."

We spent the rest of the drive just listening to the radio. Finally, we reached the turn off for our drive. When we pulled up to the house, I flew out of the car and grabbed our bags. Bella smiled at me and made a beeline for the door. I laughed as I followed her into the house.

Everyone was waiting in the living room for us. I set our bags down and turned just in time to see Esme crash into Bella. They were both grinning hugely at each other and I almost stumbled as the weight of their emotions hit me. They really had missed each other. Next, Esme flung herself at me. I hugged her back tightly and then took my turn with Rose. I had missed my twin so very much. I grinned at her as I released her and she smiled back.

Rose and Bella took turns hugging as well. Emmett gave me the manliest hug he could manage, while grinning like an idiot. Carlisle, Garrett, Alice, Peter, Charlotte, Kate, and Charlie all took their turns with us. It was a very happy moment.

"What are you guys doing home already?" Bella asked Rose as they sat on the couch next each other. They were surrounded by Esme and Alice on either side of them. I sat on a chair next to Emmett. They weren't supposed to be home until tomorrow.

"We came home yesterday, we missed everyone like crazy" Rose told her.

"I understand, we did too" Bella smiled at her. "How was your honeymoon?"

"Incredible, yours?"

"Same" Bella smirked at me and I grinned wickedly back at her.

"How have you all been doing here with out us?" I asked the rest of the family.

"We've been very busy around here", Esme beamed at me. "We had a house built about a mile from here on the property for Charlie and Kate. Peter and Charlotte are staying with us indefinitely, well, actually are staying with Charlie and Kate indefinitely." She was leaving something out, I could feel her apprehension.

Before I had time to question her, I felt Bella's guilt and a little bit of disappointment emitting from her. _Darlin', what's wrong?_ I mentally asked.

_Why did Charlie and Kate ask Peter and Charlotte to stay with them instead of us? I am still his daughter aren't I? _

_I think you will have to ask your father for the answer to that one, but I do have a guess._ Garrett interrupted our internal conversation.

"_Alice? What do you see?" I turned to look at my sister. I recognized that look and knew her eyes were seeing something completely different than the room in front of her. We waited for Alice to speak._

"_Hmm, how strange. Bella, pull us all under your shield, please. It will be easier to show you this one than try to describe it" Alice asked. _

I watched as Alice replayed her vision for us. It was Aro, surrounded by about 20 different vampires. He was the only one talking out loud. He was saying they would wait to come after us, he wanted to find something to counteract Bella's shield first. It looked as if we had years before they would finally make a move, if they ever did. I couldn't figure out who he was talking to though and that bothered me. Wait, how the hell did they even know about Bella's shield? Her vision stopped and everyone's mental shouts were coming fast and furious. Bella released us all, I was sure she couldn't handle anymore of the yelling than we could.

I was the first one to speak, "How the fuck do they know about Bella's shield?"

Alice had her eyes closed again, searching for the answer. I looked at Peter impatiently.

"_I have no fucking clue, brother."_

Alice's eyes opened and I felt the frustration rolling off of her. "I can't see it. I don't know how they found that information out. The only people who know are us, the rest of the Denali's, the wolves, and the vampires we killed."

Emmett spoke up, "None of which would have gone to the Volturi and ratted us out."

"I would have saw it if they did, Em" Alice said softly.

Carlisle got up from the couch and started pacing the floor. We all watched him in silence. Finally, he spoke, "Mate conversations are the only thing you can not see, right, Alice?"

I caught up to where he was going in an instant; Emmett and Rose did too, "Irina" we growled out in unison.

"No" Esme disagreed. "She wasn't even at the battle children."

Kate snarled at us, "Irina would not betray this family like that." She started growling and moved into a low crouch.

Bella hissed at her and crouched in front of me, "Back off Kate", she snarled.

Charlie crouched in front of Kate, growling as he did so. In a flash, I was crouched next to her. Emmett moved to stand in between the group, his hands up as if he were surrendering, "Let's all just calm down and back off." He was eying Charlie, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Bella and I both stood up and we walked to the other side of the room, away from Kate and Charlie. It was finally starting to set in with Bella, that her dad had just growled at her and moved to protect his mate from her. Her shock echoed throughout me and the room. I wrapped my arm around her and started rubbing small circles around her back.

Kate and Charlie moved back to the other side of the room. Charlie looked at us apologetically and Bella nodded at him. She understood, he didn't do it on purpose. It is our natural instinct to protect our mates and that is all he was doing.

Emmett stepped back to Rosalie's side after he saw that. Rose grabbed his hand and linked their fingers.

Carlisle was still pacing, "Please, Kate, try to understand, we are not picking on Irina nor do I think she would intentionally go to the Volturi, but what if her mate is in the Volturi? She would have told him everything unintentionally, you know how mating in vampires works." We all did, once both mates were vampires or were already vampires and found each other, their thoughts about everything that happened previously flowed between them. Also, like Bella and I could, or even the rest of our family, mates could tell each other anything they wanted.

Kate hissed, "How would she have even found out, Carlisle?"

"Carmen, Eleazar, and Tanya would have seen no problem in telling her how we won in the battle" Carlisle answered. "Think about it, why would they have any reason not to tell her?"

I growled, _I told you she was up to something._

_Do you honestly think she would have told any one in the Volturi this information if they were going to use it against Carlisle's family? _

I mentally sighed, _No, I guess not._

The room was quiet as everyone contemplated this. "Alice, how the hell can't you see who Irina's mate is?" Emmett finally broke the silence. Kate hissed in the background.

"I don't know."

He frowned at her, "Have you even tried?"

Alice snarled, "What the fuck do you think I have been trying to do for weeks, Emmett? I haven't just been sitting on my ass looking at rainbows. You know my feelings on this, I didn't trust her not telling us who it was."

Everyone went as still as a statue in the room. Alice rarely felt the need to swear, and if she did, it was no more than a damn or a hell. For her to use the F word like that, she was mad.

Emmett took a small step back in surprise, shock flashing across his face, "I'm sorry shortie, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know you didn't, Emmett. I'm just as frustrated that I can't see it as you all are. I just don't understand." Garrett wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"I doubt we will come up with any answers today" Carlisle calmly said. "It looks like we have time to figure this out. In the meantime, I'll call Eleazar and find out what they told Irina. Let's not argue about this anymore today, we are all together for the first time in a month, let's enjoy it." His eyes searched out all of ours and we all agreed. The tension in the room eased considerably and we pretended everything was normal for now.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait to update. I can use many excuses like bronchitis, migraines, overtime at work, basically, I needed to get my head back into the story & had trouble while I was sick. Sorry! **

Bella

I was lounging in mine and Jasper's library pretending to read when Rosalie came flitting into the room. I was so caught up in my thought about Charlie that she almost scared me. I was obsessing over why he had asked Peter and Charlotte to live with him instead of me and Jasper. I knew it should not have bothered me, but it did. I had a feeling I would be asking Charlie why very soon so that I could put my mind at ease. Jasper was out with Emmett, Garrett, and Peter. Supposedly, they were out on some kind of male bonding ritual, I didn't buy that. It was probably to catch up and gossip about everything that had happened in the past month. Those 4 gossiped like little old ladies and I bet it had just killed them to wait this long. Yesterday we had all spent the day together catching up after our return from our honeymoon. I set my book down and looked at Rose.

"Hey little sis, let's talk" she told me as she raised an eyebrow expectantly. It was her code for telling me to put us under my shield. Alice, Esme, Carlisle, Kate, and Charlie were around the house, definitely in hearing distance.

"Of course, big sis" I said as I pulled her mind under with mine. This is what we would do if we ever wanted to talk alone in a house full of family. We would maintain a completely boring and useless conversation with our mouths, while our brains communicated the important stuff silently.

_I need to ask you for a huge favor, one that I have absolutely no right to ask of you, _Rose started.

_You can ask me anything, Rose, you know that._ Out loud we were talking about her honeymoon.

_I know the family is planning on figuring out a way to use your shield so Aro doesn't find out it was me who killed Edward. I know I shouldn't ask this but, if you aren't able to do this, please Bella, at least keep him from killing me. _

I stared at her stunned for two brief seconds, _Rose, my shield will be up the entire time, both the mental and the physical one. I won't let anything happen to you. What is bringing this on?_

_I spent many years hating this life, resenting it, even after I found Emmett. I'm finally at peace with it, I'm not bitter anymore. I feel like I've wasted so much time being miserable, that now that I'm finally happy I don't ever want to lose it. It's my fault Edward is dead and Aro is mad at us. I know I have not right to ask this, but please Bella? As long as Emmett is alive, shield the truth from Aro? _

_Rose, I'm going to shield this from him at all costs. I know we can find a way for me to do that. We will be able to show him everything that Edward did, but never that. Now, I am not promising to release you from my shield if Emmett is dead though, not ever. Emmett and you and everyone else will be fine. _I pleaded with my eyes for her to understand this.

She nodded, _Bella, would you live in a world without Jasper? I'm not asking you to kill me, I'm just asking that, IF anything should happen to Emmett, let Aro see it was me. _

I knew she had a valid point. I wouldn't live in this world with out Jasper. He was my world and if he was gone, I'd be following shortly after. I nodded at her.

Rose smiled, _Thank you, Bella. Now, when are you planning on talking to Charlie?_

_About what?_

_Oh please, Bella. Don't play stupid with me. I saw your reaction when you found out Peter and Charlotte were going to live there and I think you need to talk it over with Charlie. You will just keep it bottled in and be angry at him for who knows how long. I know, why don't you ask him to go hunting with you today? I'm asking Carlisle because we need to talk too. It can be like a father-daughter day._

_Yea, I guess you are right. I should talk to him. _

Alice came flying into the room then, "Esme, Kate, and I are going to the mall, want to come?"

"No thank you, I think I want to go hunting" Rose told her.

"I'm not in a mall mood either, Alice. Have fun though", I answered.

She narrowed her eyes at us then, "Why are you shielding from me? That's the only reason I had to come ask you."

I removed the shield and waited as her eyes closed. She wouldn't be able to see our private conversation, but she would see us asking our dads to go hunting. She probably even saw the whole conversations play out.

Her eyes opened and she smiled softly at us both, "It will be perfectly fine, don't worry and have fun." With that she bounced out of the room. The closest mall that was acceptable to Alice was over 2 hours away at vampire driving speeds so Rose and I had plenty of time to get this over with.

"I guess we don't even need to ask them to leave the house now, huh?" Rose asked.

"Nope, guess not. Come on sis, let's get this out of the way." She took off to find Carlisle in his study and I found Charlie in the game room. I never thought of Charlie as a video game player but he was determined to get better so he could beat Emmett. Although, I could hear Rose and Carlisle's conversation perfectly, I wouldn't listen. Whatever she needed to talk to him about was between them.

I entered the game room and sat next to my dad, "Hey dad, can we talk for a minute?"

"Hey Bells, yea sure, just give me a second to beat this."

I waited a full two minutes until he was finally done and had beat the computer player. He turned to me, "What's up?"

I sighed, "I don't want to sound catty or jealous, but I need to know the answer to this. Why did you ask Peter and Charlotte to move in but not me and Jasper?" I said it in a rush before I chickened out.

He smiled sheepishly, "It's nothing against you and Jasper, I swear. I just felt they would be more comfortable with less vampires around. I know they have pretty much always kept to themselves, with the exception of a few visits to see the Cullen's. You know I like to keep to myself and that's why we all agreed Kate and I should have our own house. I like it here, but I feel better off on my own."

I smiled, "Yes, I do know you would be comfortable spending more time with just you and Kate. That still doesn't answer why you didn't ask me."

"Bells, you belong here. You've been a part of this family before you were even turned. I've watched and seen the way they all love you, Esme and Carlisle especially. You are more their daughter than you ever have been mine."

I opened my mouth to start arguing with him but he held up a hand to stop me.

"Wait a second Bella. Let me finish. I love you and know you love me and that will never change, but let's be honest here. You barely spent any time with me when you were growing up. Then when you moved to Forks, you took it upon yourself to take care of me, instead of the other way around. I've loved every minute I ever got to spend with you, but we weren't a family. We were just two people living together and that's fine, really it is. But when you went to the Cullen's, they were already a family and they took you in as one of them without question. Carlisle took care of you after you got hurt that time in Phoenix and every other time you tripped or fell or whatever. He gave you advice and really treated you like his own. He's been more of a dad to you in the past two years than I ever was."

I had to interrupt him this time, "Dad, I do love you, more than you'll ever know. I loved you enough to be selfish and make you this way forever with me. I couldn't give you up, I refused to. You are my family just as much as they are, maybe even more. You did take care of me as best as you could. No, I should rephrase that, as best as I would allow you to. I guess I was so used to taking care of Renee, I thought you needed that too. I never let you get the chance to be the parent."

He smiled at me, "Bella, maybe I'm saying this wrong. I know all of those things, but I never tried to push you into letting me be the parent. I let you take all the responsibility of the household stuff and feeding me, instead of making sure that was all done for you. All I'm trying to say is you belong here, with the rest of them. They aren't a whole family without you. They've made you one of them and I can't take you away from them, even if it's just to live with me."

I frowned, maybe I was still missing something. I just couldn't grasp why he thought I was better off here than with him. I mean, believe me, I loved it here with all of them, I just didn't get why he never thought to bring me with him.

"If I hadn't mated with Kate and told you guys to just let me die that day, I know you would have been cared for and loved. That would have been the only way I would have let you go. And, if I had died that day, this would be your world. Here, with them, as it was always meant to be. Don't you see, Bella? This is your family now, and I'm lucky enough to be an extension of that."

I shook my head, "You're my family too, not just an extension."

I have to give it to Charlie, he definitely is one patient vampire. "I know, Bells. I'm just trying to explain that you are in good hands with them and I've always known that. You are a very loved daughter and sister to them all and I want you to stay here, where you belong. Plus, do you really think I want to hear what you and Jasper do at night, when it's just me and Kate in a house?"

I laughed, if I could have blushed, I would have been tomato red. "I can understand that as much as I don't want to hear you and Kate." I shivered at the thought and Charlie laughed exuberantly.

"Do you see now, it was nothing against you? You are always welcome no matter what time of day it is."

"I see that now, I'm sorry for being jealous or catty or stupid, whichever one it was that I was acting."

"You weren't acting like any of those to me, Bella. Just like a curious daughter." He reached over and hugged me tightly, "Love you always, Bells."

"Love you too, Dad."

"You know, if you want to call them mom and dad like the rest of them, I'm fine with that. Just as long as I'm dad, too."

"Ha, because that won't get confusing." I grinned at him, "Thanks, Dad."

Carlisle and Rose came downstairs after finishing their talk then, "I have to drive to the post office to pick up a package, do you two want to come with us?" Carlisle asked.

"I'd love to" Charlie answered and he looked at me.

"Me too" I stood up and hugged Charlie one more time, then we left. We were back a short time later and spent the day hanging around together, a father-daughter day. It was wonderful.

Rosalie

I was nervous as I approached my father's study. This was something I had to do, it was long overdue and I just hoped Carlisle accepted my apology. Knowing Carlisle as I did, I knew he would without question. He might not even let me finish what I was saying, but I didn't want his forgiveness without getting everything out that I needed to. I hesitated before knocking.

"Come in, Rose" he called. I walked in to find him sitting behind his large desk, a book in hand. "What's up?"

"Can we talk for a minute?" I asked. I almost stuttered the words out, Carlisle really looked at me then.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he rose from his chair.

I tried to smile reassuringly, but I'm sure it was more meek than anything. This so wasn't like me, get it together, Rose, I told myself.

"I'm fine, I just need to tell you something and for some reason, it's making me very nervous." I turned and sunk down into his couch, he sat next to me and grabbed my hand. He squeezed it once, but held onto it.

"You know you can always tell me anything, Rosalie. I'm here for you." I could hear Bella and Charlie starting their talk as well, but I tuned them out. I didn't have time to eavesdrop on their conversation, if I was going to get out what I needed to.

"I know, Dad." I took a deep, unnecessary breath. "I want to apologize to you, but I need you to let me finish saying what I need to say before you choose to forgive me or not, okay?"

He nodded and waited for me to continue, his brow furrowing in confusion. I could only guess he was wondering what I had done to come apologize for to him.

"I want to say I'm sorry for all the years that I resented you and resented this life. It took me a long time to reach this point, and I'm sorry for that. I am so incredibly happy you saved me that night. I couldn't have asked for a better family to be brought into and I'm so sorry I wasted all those years -," I paused, I didn't want to use the word hating, so I tried to find the right one but he interrupted me.

"Hating me and this life" he supplied.

"No, I never-" he stopped me again, while smiling. "It's okay, Rose. I know you didn't mean to, but you did."

I sighed, "Okay, I'm sorry for all those wasted years, hating this life and you. Even after you gave me the two best gifts in the world, my life and Emmett's, I still couldn't get over the fact that I wasn't human anymore. I'm truly sorry for that, I wish I had realized sooner how much you all mean to me. Especially you, you are a hundred, million times a better father than my own dad ever was." I shook my head, "You never gave up on me, no matter how badly I treated you. I'm so sorry, Dad. I wish there was a way I could show you just how very sorry I am."

He smiled at me, "I always had faith that you would come around sometime. I'm a very patient man, Rose. I would have waited another few hundred years to hear you say you've come to terms with this life. That's the only thing I ever wanted for you, your acceptance of what I did to you. That's all the apology I need."

"You're entirely too good to me, you know that right? I'm undeserving of it."

"No you are not, I always knew you would come around when you were ready. Rose, I'm sorry for changing-"

I snorted, "I'm the one who's apologizing here, remember? I'm glad you changed me and I'm happy your my dad."

My dad's face lit up into a brilliant smile and he hugged me. "I'm glad your one of my daughters." We hugged for a few seconds longer and I could still hear Bella and Charlie talking downstairs.

"Hey Rose, want to go to the post office with me to pick up all the new family crests?"

I smiled at him, "Of course, I will. How many did you have to order this time?"

He chuckled, "Enough to last us for awhile, I hope."

We ran downstairs to find out if Bella and Charlie wanted to come with us and then we all had a fabulous father-daughter day. Now, I just had to wait for Emmett to get back so I could tell him how much I loved being his wife and mate.

Jasper

None of the women wanted to go hunting so we decided to make it a male bonding day. More like Emmett and Peter made it a male bonding day. Charlie and Carlisle both passed on going so it was just us "kids". Alice had laughed for a full five minutes after she saw us all decide to go, but she wouldn't tell anyone what would happen today. This should be interesting.

We ran for almost 2 hours in silence and then Emmett turned on us. "Guys, I think we're far enough away now, let's talk." I rolled my eyes at him.

I could feel excitement and anticipation bouncing off of all 3 of them and I was practically jumping up and down in place from it. "Em, we talked about everything we could think of yesterday, what the hell else is there to talk about?"

He snorted, "How about we talk about why Peter is taking over as Charlie's best friend?" I doubled over in laughter as his feelings of jealousy flooded the small field we were in. His eyes narrowed as he glared at me for a second before turning back to Peter, who was just grinning like an idiot.

"Dude, calm the hell down. It's not like that all," Peter responded.

"Oh, really? Then how is it, Peter?" Emmett asked, his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Garrett tried to stifle a laugh, but it came out as a big chuckle. I couldn't stop laughing as I felt his amusement about this situation.

Peter sighed dramatically, "It's just me and Char going to live with Charlie and Kate since we were essentially nomads before. We like to live around less people and they like to live around less people. It just made sense."

Emmett pondered this for a moment, "Alright, I guess that makes sense. I would hate to have to kick your ass for taking over as my best friend's best friend."

"You know Em, for as big and smart of a vampire that you are, you are awfully insecure. What would Rosie think of her big, strong Emmett being such an pansy ass about such things?" Peter asked him.

"Leave my Rosie out of this, Peter. And don't ever call her Rosie again. Only I'm allowed to."

"Whatever you say, Emmy-bear," Peter responded with a wicked grin on his face.

With that Emmett lunged across the small space and tackled Peter to the ground. This would be how we would spend the rest of our day together. Wrestling and talking or arguing with each other. It was always the same whenever we went out on our own. I just hoped nobody got seriously hurt or Esme would be upset and not let us out of her sight alone with each other.

Bella

After the boys got home from wherever they were and the girls got home from the mall, Carlisle called us all into the living room. He grinning, "I have an announcement." He pulled out the box from the post office and opened it. He pulled out 4 small boxes and handed one to Kate, Charlie, Peter, and Charlotte. They all looked at him questioningly and waited until he spoke again before they opened them.

"I just thought it was time to make it official" Carlisle said and waited for them to open the boxes and reveal the family crests laying there. "Welcome to the family."

Kate and Charlie smiled and said thank you, while Peter and Charlotte looked stunned. "We've never had more than Jasper as our family, thank you," Charlotte said and her eyes were pooling with the venom that would never fall.

Peter grinned, "Thank you for accepting us as one of your own." Esme couldn't hold herself back anymore and so she flung herself at Peter and Charlotte and hugged them both fiercely.

"Of course we would accept you as one of our own, and now it is official," she told them. She worked her way over to Kate and Charlie next. "Welcome to the family" she simply said as she hugged them both. There was more hugging as each of the family took their turns hugging each all four of them. I giggled to myself as I thought about how this family of vampires seemed to hug more than any family of humans I had ever seen.

When all the hugging was done, Rosalie stepped forward and grabbed Emmett's hand, "Em, I need to talk to you and I want everyone to hear what I have to say."

Emmett looked confused, "Are you okay, Rosie?" he asked quietly.

Rosalie beamed her brilliant smile at him, "I'm perfect. I'm more fine than I ever have been. This is what I wanted to tell you, Em. I know I was selfish and brought you into this life for myself. A life that I used to despise."

"Used to?" Emmett interrupted.

"Yes, used to. I know it took me a long time to get to this point and for that I am truly sorry to you and everyone in the family. I love you Emmett and I love being your wife and I would never trade it for anything in the world. I would never trade my family for anything either."

Emmett's face had broken into a huge grin by the end of her speech, "I couldn't ask for a better wife. I always knew you would come around." He squeezed her to him and then kissed her passionately. Lust filled the room and I looked at Jasper. All of the family was looking at Jasper. Usually where Emmett and Rose where concerned he tried to reign his emotions in more.

He sighed, "All of your emotions are like roller coasters tonight, I can't keep up with everyone's. While I'm on this emotional ride, you all are as well." He grabbed me and flung me over his shoulder and rushed upstairs to our bed.

**A/N: Figured you wanted to get on with the story, so I saved the really long note for here. Thanks to all who read & review. It means the world to me that you all like my story so much. I love all of your reviews & read each one. I do have a question for you all. What should Rosalie's favorite animal to hunt be? You will find out the reasoning soon, I promise =) Preview for next chapter: really hot lemon. Thanks to Jacqulyn for reading & correcting my mistakes.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I'm so sorry for the unexpected long absence from my story, but life has gotten in the way. Thank you to all for sticking with me and I promise to start updating on a regular basis again Here's a nice little chapter of fluff to get back into the story again!**

Jasper

I couldn't help myself as I grabbed Bella and ran up the stairs to our room. Most of the time, I can tune out Emmett and Rosalie's lust. There's always just so much of it that I've learned to ignore it. This time, after all the emotions were all over the place when Carlisle was handing out crests, I couldn't stop it. I felt their lust and sent it throughout the room, then I had to contend with all the other vampire's lust. It was just too much. I flung my wife over my shoulder and made a mad dash for our room.

I could hear Emmett chuckling as I ran but I paid him no attention. I heard Charlie excuse himself and Kate at the same time I reached our bed. A second later, Peter and Charlotte excused themselves and the rest of the family had gone to their rooms. Bella put her shield up around us to try and keep the lust from reaching them all. _Uh-uh, I want your full attention focused on me. Put your shield down and let them deal with it. _Bella grinned wickedly and obliged me.

I laid her gently down on the bed and got on top of her. I began kissing her lips and moved to her neck, my hands barely grazing her breasts. She moaned in response and arched her back, pushing her breasts further into my hands. This time it was my turn to moan as I felt how hard her nipples were. I reached down and pulled her shirt over her head.

The sight of her laying there in her lacy, black bra made me moan this time. Bella started unbuttoning my shirt as I was reaching for the button on her jeans. She had my shirt unbuttoned and removed in record time. Her hands were running up and down my back and I growled in response to how good it felt. We finished undressing each other and within a fraction of a second, I was inside her.

I slowly started pumping in and out of her as I kissed her neck, her lips, and her breasts, anywhere I could reach. She moaned my name and I thrust into her as fast as I could. I tried to go slow and indulge in love making with my wife, but I couldn't slow down. With Bella's shield down I could feel every other vampire's lust in the house. Within seconds we both exploded into each other and then it started all over again. Sometimes being an empath could really come into great use. We spent the entire night making love over and over and it was amazing. In the morning we finally had to pull ourselves out of bed. I didn't want to and neither did Bella, but Emmett came banging on the door demanding that we stop with all of our lustiness as he called it. He claimed he couldn't handle another minute of it and if we didn't come out, he was coming in.

I was already dressed so I flung open the door, "Morning sunshine," I greeted him cheerfully.

He scowled at me, "Jasper, why the hell must you make Bella take her shield down sometimes? Are you trying to kill your favorite brother?"

I tried to hold my smile in, "Emmett, you have never had a problem making me feel your lust for your wife. It's about time I've been able to use your own feelings against you. Maybe if you would focus more on Rosalie and your job as a husband you wouldn't feel like you are going to die because she wants more out of you."

I could hear every one in the house chuckle as I said this and Emmett's mouth dropped in shock. He stood there for a few seconds trying to collect his thoughts. Finally he spoke, "I swear Jasper if you ever imply I am not performing my manly duties to the best of my ability again, I will kick your ass."

I grinned at him, "Bring it, dude."

Bella appeared next to me and smiled hugely at Emmett. "Please stop threatening my husband, Em. It's not polite."

Emmett rolled his eyes and walked away muttering, "Sometimes there's no reasoning with either one of them. Together, it's like taking on one really big bully."

Bella and I laughed as we went downstairs to find the rest of the family. Rose was sitting on the living room couch working on a scrapbook. I glanced quickly at it and saw it was one of her and Emmett's most recent wedding and honeymoon.

She looked up at me and smiled, "Hey, Jazz." Emmett came sauntering the room and plopped down next to Rose.

"What's wrong, Em?" she asked.

I sensed his mood and it was a mixture of boredom, mischief, and fun. I raised an eyebrow and was about to question what he was plotting when Esme flitted in. She took one look at Emmett's face and rolled her eyes. "Whatever trouble you are planning, Emmett, I suggest you not follow through with it."

Emmett looked up in mock surprise and innocence, "Mom, how can you think so little of me? I was just sitting next to my wife and thinking about playing video games."

Esme smiled patiently, "Sure you were. Whatever you break, you better replace before I find out." With that she headed out to her flower garden. Bella went out to go help her.

"I think we need to find a school to go to," Emmett suddenly announced. Rose looked at him in complete surprise.

"You actually want to go to school? You hate school and usually love time off."

He shrugged, "I get bored too easily, and I need something to do."

Carlisle walked into the room, "You break it, you better replace it before your mom finds out."

Emmett rolled his eyes, "When have I ever broken anything without replacing it?"

Carlisle stared at him, "How about the countless couches, desks, tables, lamps, televisions, cars, decks…"

Emmett cut him off, "I have always replaced those things with my own money, Dad. Sheesh, a guy breaks a couply creaky, rotten, falling apart stairs on a deck and no one ever lets him forget it." He sighed in exasperation for dramatic effect and stuck his bottom lip out to pout. I saw Carlisle's lips twitch as he tried not to laugh.

I heard Bella laugh, "How the hell do you just break a few stairs on a deck?"

Esme giggled, most likely in spite of herself, "He keeps insisting he broke only a few stairs and that it was a domino effect, but I don't buy it."

I laughed as I remembered the incident. We were living near Denali, and the house Esme had restored was beautiful, except for the deck. She hadn't made it to restoring the deck before we moved in and Emmett had been bored one day. Emmett's boredom never led to anything good.

Rose and Carlisle were giggling as they heard Esme telling Bella the story. "You see Bella; this house had a huge deck with two staircases. One led from the house to the ground and the other from the opposite side of the deck to this ridiculously big trampoline. Emmett decided to go show off on the trampoline and well you know how exuberant he can get. He took a big leap to do some kind of stunt, ended up overshooting his landing and crashed into the staircase. It was literally shattered into pieces. It actually caused the entire deck to collapse on top of him."

Bella laughed, "A couple of stairs huh, Em?" she called out.

He sulked, "I only hit one stair, Bella. I swear to it, the rest just fell because it was holding them up."

Bella laughed even harder and Emmett sulked even more. Alice came bounding into the room with Garrett right behind her. She flung herself down next to Emmett and laid her head on his shoulder. "I got your back, Em. It's already been taken care of."

Emmett grinned and mussed her hair, "Thanks, shortie, it's nice that someone around here isn't laughing at me about those stupid stairs."

Alice grinned back, "That's because the next thing is going to be even better." I heard Esme sigh in defeat and tested her emotions. No matter how mad she got at Emmett for his stupid pranks, she always ended up laughing at whatever ridiculous stunt he pulled. She just couldn't stay mad at him and that's definitely why he always got away with it. Emmett ignored us for the rest of the morning and we went about our business as normal. I read, Rose worked on the scrap book, Alice shopped online, Carlisle read some medical books, Garrett played video games, and Bella and Esme gardened. Peter, Charlotte, Charlie, and Kate didn't come around. Sometimes, they choose to keep to themselves. We never took offense to that and knew that's just what they preferred. Finally, Emmett's head snapped up and a look of determination flashed across his face.

"Yay" Alice cheered as she saw whatever he was planning. No matter what Alice foresaw with Emmett's stunts, she never really told anyone. She liked for him to come up with them on his own and for us to see them as he carried them out. He ran for the garage and Carlisle looked at Alice.

"Should we follow now or does he have to set stuff up?"

"We have a few days; he needs to get a few things ready."

"These things we have to wait a few days for are always the most damaging to my stuff," Esme commented.

"Jazz, I need your help," Emmett called from the garage. I wandered out there and spent the day helping Emmett with what was about to be his craziest stunt ever.

Bella

Esme and I spent the most wonderful day together out in her flower garden. We chatted from time to time with each other and with the family who were all still inside. She shared stories and mental images with me in my shield of all of Emmett's stunts. I laughed every time I saw him fall or trip or destroy something. The deck incident made me laugh the most. From Esme's point of view, you could clearly see that he went full force into the middle of the staircase not just a couple of stairs like he claimed.

I could hear him and Jasper as they tinkered around in the garage, but tuned them out eventually. Alice said he liked for it to be as much of a surprise as possible for us. I realized as Esme and I worked that I was truly happy here. Probably the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. I smiled contently to myself and Esme reached out to pat my hand as if she were reading my thoughts.

"I'm so happy you like to garden too, Bella" she quietly murmured to me.

I looked up in surprise, "Doesn't anyone else in the family ever help you?"

She grinned, "Have you ever seen any of them pick up a shovel and put a plant in the ground?"

"Nope, I guess I never realized that before."

"Well, it's nice to have someone do this with finally."

"I enjoy it, mom. It's peaceful doing this." We spent the rest of the day in the huge garden Esme was planting. It was beautiful with tons of vibrant, brightly colored flowers of every shape and size. When it got dark out, Esme and I headed back in. Jasper and Emmett were still outside so I headed to the couch with a book and spent a leisurely evening reading.

Jasper finally came back in with his hair in complete disarray and a smirk on face. Esme looked at him and Emmett who just bounded in grinning and her face fell slightly.

"This isn't going to be good is it?" she asked.

Emmett's grin widened considerably, "It's going to be awesome, mom. Don't worry at all about anything."

Esme's lip twitched as she tried not to laugh and look serious. She turned her gaze to Jasper instead, "Is it going to cost me a fortune to fix?"

Jasper shook his head and sat down next to me, "I'm not answering any questions about it. I've been sworn to secrecy."

Esme sighed in defeat and headed upstairs to find Carlisle. I looked at Jasper questioningly, but he refused to answer the unspoken question in my eyes.

Emmett sat on my other side, "Sorry Bells, this time Jasper is not allowed to tell you what's going on. You will find out tomorrow just like everyone else." He winked at me and took off to find Rosalie. Just what on earth was Emmett planning?


End file.
